Gallant Tears
by zombiedog001
Summary: The final installment to Broken Serenity. Now comes for the final battle against Umbrella. A new help has arrived, but will it save them? Or, is it too late? R&R.
1. Opening

**A/N: Yeah, surprise here. An actually update. But, I got a lot of hard classes this year, all like, AP and Honors. And they suck soo, much. I have to do sooo much work, and I have band at the same time, so I don't have a lot of free time to myself. So, don't expect an update anytime soon. I'll try and have one up, maybe/possible the next day, but don't count on it. Also, this chapter leaves off right where the last one did. Hopefully, this will be the last of the four stories.**

Everyone turned at the voice, surprised at this new figure. An old, denim jacket thrown on, seemingly hiding his tall, muscular-bound body. A dark Navy-blue shirt could be seen beneath the open front. His long, dark hair had been pulled back into a low ponytail that rested against the back of his neck. He stood close in the shadows of the tall Oak. Who exactly was he? Had he over heard them? What did he know?

Enrico moved from his place and towards the front of the group. "What do you mean? What do you know about Renny?"

"I'll start from the beginning," the man spoke, looking up with Smokey-blue eyes. "For your wife, you had a close-casket funeral. Maybe, so when you last remembered her, it wasn't when she was dead, but alive. The service that was used is run by a company known as P.A.C.P., Pacific Area Coastal Projects. Needless to say, in short terms, Umbrella pulled a few strings with them. During the preparation before the ceremony, the caskets were switched. Umbrella has been keeping a surveillance on you, and when they spotted this opportunity, they jumped like starving hounds to leftovers. The coffin buried beneath that headstone, is empty. The woman's whose name is engraved in stone, is not there."

"Are you tell me Umbrella has her?!" Enrico growled, grabbing the man by the collars of his jacket.

"Yes," he answered, without flinching. "But, I can help you get her back from their grasp."

"How so?" Chris asked, as the group slowly moved forward.

The man looked towards the Marksmen, before back at Enrico. "I have an inside source of Umbrella. He's the one who let me in on the information of your situation here. He's willing to cooperate, he too has a deal to pick with Umbrella. He can let you in on the current motives and locations of their movements. He'll help you find them, and have the final fight. The final showdown."

Enrico nodded before letting him go. "You got some kind of plan, or something to go along with this? And where exactly is your little friend?"

"I can't let you know about him just yet," he answered. "He's deep inside Umbrella, and anything that lets out his name will have him killed in a single second. As for a plan, I can't tell you here. Not in the open like this that's vulnerable to attacks."

"There's a cafe a few blocks from here," Jill stepped in. "There's plenty of people there, and it's a better cover-up. There's no way Umbrella could have a reasonable chance at eavesdropping on us. Nor would they enforce open firing in public."

The man nodded. "Sounds good enough."

* * *

The cafe was exactly as it had been described. Plenty of people around and too much movement going on for any kind of surveillance at this point. Their large group separated into smaller tables and gathered around a center point. Although their conversations were constantly interrupted by waiters and waitress who passed by and asked for their orders. They faked other topics and kindly answered the servers.

"So, start talking," Enrico spoke.

The man nodded, and put his drink down. "Due to Umbrella's constant moving, we're still working on a plan of action. But word came yesterday that there's an old, abandoned mining town in Nevada that has caught their eye. They've already begun moving in and shipping things there. Thanks to their friends at P.A.C.P. Last reported, already there has been installation of at least hundred yards of underground materials for the reconstruction of their labs. They'll continue on with their experimenting, and recover from the damages inflicted by your group. Needless to say though, they'll rise twice as strong this time. There's nothing there to stop them. Only thing standing between them and ultimate control is yourselves."

"Damn straight," Jill mused, taking a deep breath. Inhaling the sweet scent of her vanilla crème latte. "So, tell me then, who are you? And what do you have in relations with Umbrella?"

"I'm nothing more than a dead man with a past," he answered.

"If you expect us to trust you, we have to know you first," Leon spoke.

"If that's how you want things done," the man shrugged, before slipping off his jacket at the rising warmth of the day. Revealing the dark, sleeveless-T with the deep cut in the front. His arms were muscular, with hints of old military training. Most surprising though, was the large tattoo inked down his right arm. From shoulder to wrist was heavy, black ink writings in cursive that couldn't be read at the moment given.

There was a choking from the back of the group as he tossed his jacket across the back of his chair. Everyone turned back to the source, watching as Rebecca was leaning over the side of her chair.

"You okay honey?" Richard asked, rubbing her back as she sat back up. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand. She nodded to him before looking back at the figure who had caused her to choke.

"Billy?" she questioned. "Is that really you?"

"A dead man walking," he answered.

"Whoa, slow down and back it up over the tracks here," Forest spoke. "Billy? As in, perhaps, a Billy Coen?"

"Maybe," Rebecca answered hesitantly. "Yes."

"The sorry bastard who murdered all those people?" Forest questioned, as he stood.

"It depends on whose story you believe," Billy replied.

"Don't tell me you believed him Rebecca," Forest said, turning to the young medic. Rebecca chewed on her lower lip for a while before nodding. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "He killed people Becky, and he could've done the same to you without a second thought. Don't tell me you turned your back to him."

"Hey, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here standing to this day," Rebecca objected, getting out of her seat. "He helped me through the train, the training facility and the underground labs. He saved me from falling to me death, and from being eaten by that large centipede thing." she shuddered at the thought of that creature. "He's saved my life more times than I can repay. I know you're just being protective Forest, all of Bravo team, but look at it this way. If he hadn't have saved me, I wouldn't have been able to save Chris, who wouldn't have been able to save Jill, who wouldn't have been able to save Barry, who wouldn't have saved either Jill or Carlos if they survived Raccoon City, and then the whole Europe trip against Umbrella would've never been made and Umbrella would be in ultimate domination at this very moment. Please, just believe me this one time. He's the best thing we got against Umbrella right now. He's helped us before, and he'll do it again. Are you really going to turn this down? He can help us take out Umbrella and get Renny back. Are we just going to let them thrive and keep her?"  
Forest stood there for a moment before shaking his head and sitting back down.

"Didn't you say he was dead?" Chris asked,

"Well..., I might've exaggerated on that part," Rebecca answered, blushing a bit.

"You filled out a death report," Jill reminded, as she took a deep sip of her coffee.

"Just a rookie and breaking code of conducts," Joseph laughed.

"So, do you still want my help or not?" Billy asked.

The group seemed on edge at the question, as a moment of tense silence came upon them all. Enrico looked up at him, before holding out his hand. "Yeah, it's a deal. You're a part of the team now."


	2. Talk

**A/N: Alright, I managed one more chapter. Just because I figured I owed it to you guys. Plus, I had some fun typing this one. Got a little views on both sides here.**

The car ride back home was long, and quiet. All of them knowing what would await them there. Tragedy, and sorrow. The empty void of where a playful and friendly mother-to-be once stood. It seemed to be enough to knock them all into silence. The cars were silent as they followed each other back to their homes.

Rebecca had her chin resting in her palm and was gazing out the window. Richard was sitting beside her, slightly dozing in and out of sleep. He hadn't been able to get a good nights rest in a while. She wouldn't blame him for taking a nap. She looked down as her cellphone rang. The theme of Beethoven's Virus began to play quietly, although it seemed to echo loudly in the empty space. She pulled it out and checked the caller ID. It was Forest. Weird. Why would he call her? He was in the car behind them. She shrugged and flipped it open. "Yeah, something wrong Forest?"

"Are you sure we can trust this guy?" he asked.

She sighed. He was still stuck on that. "Yes, as I've said before..."  
"I know what you said, but...," he sighed almost tiredly. "I don't have any experience with him myself. And that is what's bugging me. I don't know this guy, and sorry to say, but even with your word, I just...I just can't do it. I don't trust strangers. Seeing how he had all that information about Umbrella and Renny..., it doesn't seem possible. It doesn't seem right to me."

"He said he had an inside source," she reminded.

"That's just it, _he _said that. There's nothing to back it up," Forest replied. "For all we know, he's lying. He could be working for Umbrella."

"Forest, he's not. He was with me through the train and the facility and underground labs. Believe me, he's not part of Umbrella. If he was, what would be the point of keeping me alive throughout the facility?" she asked. "I mean, I was just a rookie, there was nothing I could do. Can't you just trust me on this one?"

"I trust you Rebecca," Forest spoke. "I just don't trust him."

She was about to reply before the clicking sound of the other end hanging up forced a sigh from her lips. She put her phone back in her pocket. She knew he was just working for the better good. Forest was the one to take chances, but not at something as severe as this. Probably all of Bravo team was working at trying to settle this out between them. She suspected most of them weren't as trustful as she was. They were probably along with Forest. She didn't blame them. But if they had to see it for themselves, then soon enough they would see it.

She looked over as Richard rested his head on her shoulder. He was out cold, she could tell that much. Although she wondered whose side he was on. Probably Forest's as well. But, that was just them being overprotective. This was a delicate situation, they had to be careful not to break it. One wrong move and it was all over. She smiled some to herself and let her arm slip over his shoulders.

"So, who was on the phone?" Jill asked, from the passenger seat. Her feet propped up on the dashboard.

"Just Forest," she answered. "Still questioning me over everything."

Jill nodded. To be truthful, she wasn't so sure on the situation either. She hated to turn against the girl, but she just couldn't put her trust so easily into one man. Not so soon after meeting him. "Well, I don't think I've ever seen Forest so dedicated on researching everything there was about this guy."

Rebecca forced a sigh. "This guy has a name. I'm just tired of everyone not seeing the good of this situation. I know you guys are just being protective, but you just don't see my point of view on it all. And that's what I can't understand. Sure, I barely knew Billy, but the same thing happened with you Jill. You barely knew Carlos, but you guys continued to help one another out. And he was actually part of Umbrella. But, everyone seemed to warm up to him so quickly. I just can't see how you don't want to do that same with Billy."

"Now, some of us didn't warm up to Carlos so easily," Jill spoke, looking over to the driver.

"What?" Chris questioned, catching her eyes.

"Anyways, just give it some time and I'm sure things will turn for the better," Jill reassured.

Rebecca sat there in silence for a moment. Trying to even imagine it all coming out for the better. It was hard to even imagine that situation. "Maybe..., but if it doesn't, what happens then?"

Jill shrugged. "Who knows, we'll probably just turn away his assistance or something."

"If that even happens, I'm out," Rebecca spoke. "If you don't want his help, then you obviously don't need mine."

"Now that's not true," Jill objected.

"Yeah, but I still feel like I'm a team with Billy. If I still expected him to be there for me, then he should still expected me to be there for him. And I can't fail at that," she replied. "Like you probably still feel like a team with Carlos and Mikhail, if they made sacrifices for you, wouldn't you make sacrifices for them?"

Jill thought it over for a moment. She could sense how the Medic felt about this whole situation. And how she was comparing it to her experience with Carlos, and their sudden ally-ness. It all made sense. She smiled faintly. "You're right, I would. Well, I can see how you feel in this situation. So, I guess I should say I believe you. It may take me awhile to get to know him, but I'll get there. I promise that."

Rebecca nodded. At least she had Jill on her side. She looked out the window, watching as Forest pulled their car up next to them. Edward was asleep in the back, while Kevin messed around on his laptop. Joseph was in the passenger seat reading some kind of magazine. She waved at Kevin, who returned the gesture. While Forest shot the middle finger to Chris, who only returned the gesture. She had to quietly laugh at the two, as they continued to shoot rude gestures to one another. Maybe this was their way of cooping. Seeing as how the sorrow wouldn't last for long. Hopefully that was.

"Hey, there's a gas station up ahead," Chris spoke, which was probably the first time in the hour. "I need to refill, you guys wanna step out and walk around a bit?"  
"Yeah, I got a cramp in my calf," Jill answered, as he pulled into that station. She watched through the rearview mirror as the line of cars followed in behind them. Anyone could tell they were all together. A perfect chance for anyone to strike. She waited for the engine to get cut off before stepping out. It seemed like ever since Renny was killed, she had been afraid of any sort of surprise attack on their team. Like they were no longer as invincible as she thought. She rubbed her arms at the cold thought, before heading into the small store. She stopped and waited for Ada to catch up before the two walked in together.

It was a bit warmer inside, with few people milling around. An elder couple were having lunch in a corner booth. A woman was lighting up a smoke as she headed outside. A man was stepping out of the backroom. The cashier was busy flipping through some kind of magazine with a semi-naked woman on the front. No one that looked suspicious of hiding Umbrella-like activity. She shrugged off the feeling and headed to the back where the drinks were located. She looked over the selection. Trying to decided over water, or Coke. She probably didn't need the caffeine, but hell she wanted it.

"So, what do you think?" Ada asked, as she grabbed a bottle of water.

"I don't know, right now it just feels like it's too soon to know," Jill answered, taking her Coke. "Rebecca's definitely set on believing him, so I guess we'll just have to roll with the punches." she looked back at footsteps and watched as Claire followed in.

"What's up?" she asked, looking at the drinks before taking a Dr. Pepper. "Aside from everything that's just happened."

"Nothing much, just trying to figure out if it's worth trusting that guy," Ada spoke, as the three headed back to the front.

"I think so," Claire replied. "I mean, you heard Rebecca. He saved her life, and if not for him, a lot of us wouldn't be here today. And Rebecca doesn't make bad decisions on people. So, I think if she could handle him, then there's nothing for us to worry about. I am so on her side for this thing. Besides, if he can help us take out Umbrella, he for one, should have everyone's vote. And get Renny back, he'd be like Enrico's best friend. And if you look at it, Enrico trust him enough to put him on the team. So, if Enrico, of all people, thinks it's a good idea, I don't see why we all shouldn't follow in his steps."

"You got a point," Jill nodded, as they put their drinks on the counter to let the cashier charge them. "You should let Rebecca know she has your support. She'll need you on her side right now." she put the change on the counter and took their drinks. "Come on, let's get back out there. If we want to get a jump start on this situation, we gotta get working soon." She headed out the doors, holding it open for the other three. From what she could see, Chris was filling up the car, and Richard was just now waking up. Leon was waiting for the car to get filled, while Luis and Ashley were asleep in the back. Forest was paying his charge, with Joseph throwing small pieces of paper into his hair. Edward was still asleep and Kevin was just falling now. The rest of the team were parked off to the side and hanging out with one another.

Rebecca stretched the moment she stepped out of the car. Careful to avoid moving Richard as much as she could. She watched as all the cars pulled in and took up most of the spaces. Everyone else parked off to the side, either to wait their turn or, they didn't need to stop at this moment. She watched as a black Jeep pulled in, but slightly separated itself from everyone else. She had a strong guess who the driver was, and already headed over in it's direction. The engine was cut off, and she watched the driver step out. Yeah, just who she thought.

She walked over, slightly sneaking up behind him before playfully hitting his arm. He turned around and she smiled. "So, you finally decided to show your face again, huh?"

"Well, it's not like I could hide forever," he answered. "Besides, how many times is an opportunity like this going to come around?"

She nodded, before crossing her arms. "So, everything that's going on about Umbrella is true, right? I mean, it's not like I don't trust you, but more on..."

"More on that you want to make sure your source of information is true," he finished, getting her nod. "Well, if you want some real proof aside from my word, there's going to be a shipment of documents delivered to Umbrella's main circle. You'll be sure to get a copy of those papers."

"Are you serious?" she asked in disbelief. The only time they were ever able to get their hands on Umbrella's documents were when they were abandoned. Like in the mansion and in Deadwood. But to get them straight from their hands. That was an upgrade. "But how?"

"Like I said, it's an insider I have a few connections with," he answered, running a hand through his hair. "He was able to get some copies made before anyone noticed the documents had arrived. They should be coming in soon enough, I can't be exact on when though."

She smiled and put her hands on her hips. "So, you'll be more useful than I thought before." he shared a laugh with her on that comment. "Anyways, what do you think can be done about Renny?"

"Not quite sure yet, but I do know one thing now," he answered. "She's not dead anymore."

**A/N: And don't worry Indigo, I'm only adding two new characters this time. I learned my lesson.**


	3. Romance

**A/N: I managed to scribble down this chapter in the middle of schoolwork and practice. But I finally got some free time, so I might be able to get some more done. Hopefully, I pray. Sorry for making everyone wait so long.**

Jill sighed as she opened the front door, and stepped in. The house was cold, but it barely mattered to her. She threw her jacket off, and turned the lights on. They each seemed to flicker on one after the other. Illuminating the living room, and hallway. She slipped off her boots and headed for the bedroom. She just wanted to get some sleep. They had work tomorrow and she hadn't been able to get a wink of sleep since Renny's death. Not that she expected to now, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

"I'll lock up," Chris spoke, as he closed the door behind him and tossed the keys off onto a table nearby.

"Alright, I'm gonna lie down for a moment," she replied, walking to the bedroom. She pushed open the door and entered the large room. Then again, every room in the house was pretty big. Then again, the house alone was big. She didn't know why they wanted to buy such a house, but it was just too beautiful to pass up. Everyone always joked that it was a perfect place to raise kids. Well, she wasn't sure that that would happen anytime soon, but Claire's child could always come over. At least till they were ready to settle down. But that wouldn't happen till Umbrella was out of the picture.

She sighed once more and collapsed on the bed. Face first into the pillows. She wanted to scream for some reason. Maybe because of the feeling that Umbrella was getting to them. Beating them. They couldn't let that happen. Not now, not ever. She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. It would be best if she just didn't focus on all of this. But she had to. It was her entire work. S.T.A.R.S. was her life. Dead or Alive.

"Something on your mind?" Chris asked, as he climbed on beside her.

"Everything at this moment," she answered, placing her hands over her face. "It's like..., it's like I can't get a grasp on anything. Like I'm just reaching out there and it just keeps pulling back. I don't get it. I hate it when things control me, but this..., it's just getting out of hand it seems."

"Things have always been like that Jill," Chris spoke, putting one hand by her hip and the other at her shoulder as he leaned over her. Looking deep into her dark eyes. "It's just that things have never gotten so out of control up till this point."

"Except the mansion," Jill replied. "Then again, we didn't even know that was just the beginning till it ended. Other than that, we've been almost on top of things. At least, we thought we were. Maybe because they've never struck so close to home until now. There were our comrades..., but they came back. We lost the City, but they were just like neighbors. They weren't family, and they weren't the ones we loved through blood. But now..., now it's come too close. And it seems like there's nothing we can do about it." she paused for a moment. "Renny never did anything to them. And yet they still killed her. Maybe they're not targeting just us, but the people we're around. Trying to get us to break. They found our weak spot, when we're still searching for theirs. They just keep regenerating after every time we defeat them. Sometimes I wonder if this final battle will ever come down."

"If it doesn't come down, then we'll go there," Chris commented. "Most of the times they've thrown the battle at us, but now it's time for us to take control. We can't let them win, we all know that. But our forces are stronger now, and more together. Each death only brings us closer. And from that, we become stronger. Look at who we have on our side. Our comrades, but now they have these powers...powers Umbrella gave them, expecting to defeat us. When it may be their own downfall. Umbrella wants this challenge, maybe that's why they brought them back. Maybe all our other battles haven't been anything close to defeating them. Maybe they've just been laughing at our hopeless tries. But we have to get back at them now."

She stared at him for the longest time, before running her hands through his black hair. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

He smiled. "I don't need to know Jill."

* * *

Rebecca stepped in the house after Richard, waiting for Chris and Jill to pull out of their driveway after dropping them off. She watched as he stretched before heading into the bedroom. She tossed off her boots, leaving them scattered across the room before heading to the bedroom as well. She wanted to take a nice, long bath for hours and just stay there in the hot water. Forget about everything happening outside.

But, she had to get one thing out of the way first.

Entering the bedroom, she watched as he tossed off his boots before slipping off his shirt. Tossing it over the back of a chair. Even now, he seemed to amaze her with his muscular, tough body. Riddled by scars.

"Richard," she spoke, watching as he turned around to her. "Hey, can I just get something out of the way for a moment?"

He looked around before looking back at her with a questioning look. "Uhh, sure. What's up?"

"Well," she started, fidgeting some. "I mean, you know I have a past with Billy right? How he helped me and everything, right?"

"I don't know the true extent, but yeah," he nodded.

"That doesn't bug you, does it?" she asked. "I mean, you don't mind me hanging around with Billy, do you? We're just friends, and I just wanted you to know. I don't want there to be any kind of friction between us, or anything. And I don't want you to feel the need to be jealous or anything, or think that I'm not sticking to my vows. I just want to let you know nothing's going on."

"Well, I don't think you could protect me against a giant snake," he spoke, before smiling. "You've obviously given this some thought though, so I guess I shouldn't disappoint with an answer. I know you're just friends. And, although I'm not quite aware of the circumstances here, aside from what he said, she said kind of deal. At the moment I'm just neutral here. I don't know much on either side. But, if he saved your life, then there's a reason for me to be on his side. And if you trust him, that's good enough too. And I don't really see any need to be worried, or 'jealous' so to speak, unless you give me a reason to be. But I doubt that much. Besides, if I had some young, hot chick as my friend, would you be jealous?"

"No," she answered quickly.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean, I trust you," she smiled. "Besides, if she's younger than me, you got a problem." she turned and went to the nearby closet for some different clothes.

"I think I just get served by my wife," he laughed, walking over to her. Wrapping his arms around her waist. "So, what are you going to do for the rest of the evening?"  
"I'm gonna take a bath," she answered. "Till we have to go to work tomorrow. You are not going to be able to pull me out of that tub until then."

"That's fine, I think I'll just join you," he replied, kissing her neck.

She giggled and squirmed in his arms. "You hate taking baths. Men always prefer showers anyways. Besides, I thought you were going to take a nap." she managed to escape his arms and head towards the bathroom.

"Because you'll be there," he replied before smiling. "And we'll both be naked."

She laughed as she entered the bathroom. Tossing her clothes onto the counter before walking over to start up the tub. She waited till she got the perfect combination of temperature, before getting up. "Richard, if you want to take a bath, you'll have to deal with bubbles and smelling like flowers for three days."

"Three days aren't that long," he commented, walking in. "I can deal with flowers and bubbles."

"So, you won't mind Forest calling you Flower-boy?" she asked.

"Forest can call me whatever he wants," he spoke, wrapping his arms around her once more. "He's just jealous because he doesn't have a wife as beautiful as I do." he kissed her forehead before moving down to her lips.

* * *

Leon leaned back against the wall and watched as Ada strolled up to him. She was silent for a moment, crossing her arms and looking off across the large yard of land. She might've been watching the squirrels fight one another, the birds twirling in the air, or Luis on the other side of the doorway flipping a quarter.

"So," he started. "Anything on your mind?"

She shrugged. "If what this man says is true, then we'll be in a battle for our lives. Umbrella will be taking any sort of step to prevent us from reaching them. And who knows, we may lose some on the way."  
"Well, I figured that much," he nodded. "Considering Umbrella, they..., they're not one to be toyed with. And if they survived our last attack, clearly we can't afford to underestimate them this time." he looked down as his cellphone vibrated before playing a short tune. He pulled it from it's holder, and flipped it open. Just a message from Ashley. He sighed after reading it, and slipped his phone back into it's black case. "Ashley says she needs help on her math. I swear, that girl can't do anything for herself. First it's just 'Help, I'm being kidnapped', then it's 'Help, I'm being held prisoner in a holding cell'. And now it's just all these simple things. Next time, it'll be like 'Help, I'm stuck in my sweater and can't get out'. Then I'd have to go help her take that off."

"Nah, she lets me help her with that," Luis commented as the coin flipped high into the air. The two looked over at him just as his comment seemed to hit him. "Did I just say that out loud?"

"What?" Leon asked.

"You know what, I think I'll just go help her with her math." he turned and quickly entered the building.

Leon just shook his head. "Well, he probably knows more math than I do."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Ada spoke with a shrug. "Come on, I know a good bar just around the block. We might as well enjoy these few days of peace we have left."

* * *

Ashley chewed at the eraser on the end of her pencil as she tried to make sense of the problem in front of her. Just a bunch of numbers and letters. To her, it didn't really seem like math if it had letters in it. When were letters suppose to be in math? It was stupid.

She looked up at the knock at her door. "Come in," she called, still pondering over the problem. She scribbled down a few solutions, but none of them seemed to make sense, or work. She crumbled up the paper and tossed it into the mountain by the trash can. She sighed and covered her head in her arms. She was never going to be able to get this.

"You know, math doesn't really kill you," she looked up at the voice and smiled some.

"Well, you know what, you figure this out and show me how to do it," she replied, tossing the pencil to him.

"Scoot over and I'll show you," Luis spoke, watching as she moved over and gave him some room on her bed. He sat down beside her. "Alright, which one is it?"

"This one," she answered, pointing to the one she had been working on for an hour or so.

He looked it over, studying it, before rewriting the problem down on another sheet of paper. "Alright, it's a little tough. What we want to do is move this number to the other side...," he trailed off as he began to work out the problem. Erasing a few times before getting everything aligned and beginning on the next step. She watched him as he slowly began to solve different parts of the problem. She wasn't even watching how he was doing it. She watched as he seemed fully concentrated on that one problem. The pencil darting across the page in different equations and solutions to add and figure out. He seemed pretty confident on what he was doing. Careful to keep everything in order and organized.

She stretched and rested her head on his shoulder. Watching him solve each piece of the problem before she felt too tired to keep her eyes open. She figured it wouldn't hurt to just close them for a little while.

"Alright, well that looks like the answer...," he started as he wrote down the last remaining numbers. Glancing over to her, he smiled at the sight of her fast asleep against his shoulder. "I didn't think so."


	4. Basketball

**A/N: Another update, go me!! Anyways, figured I'd just throw in some things. Hopefully the action will start picking up from here and things will get rolling pretty soon. I mean, I am soo far behind. I mean, Simply Crisis has updated like eight times, and I've only done it twice. Not that I'm sure what that means, but it sounds like she's got some time on her hands. Time I wish I had.**

Forest sighed as he switched on his windshield wipers as the rain began to beat down. He switched his headlights on and pulled out of the school parking lot. He needed to drop by the post office to drop off a few letters Jill said she needed to mail. Probably bills or, whatever. He pulled out onto the empty road and continued on his way. The roads were almost deserted it seemed. With this time in the morning, and this kind of weather, he wasn't surprised.

He looked ahead at the faint sight of a dark outline of a car on the side of the road. As well as someone beneath the hood. He slowed down and came to a stop beside them. Watching as the woman looked up from beneath the hood. He rolled down his window as she walked around towards him.

"If I were to take a wild guess, I'd say you're having car troubles," he spoke with a small.

"Then I'd have to say you're right," she answered. "Think you can give me a ride. I just need to get to the post office, I can call a tow truck later."

"Surprise, surprise, I'm heading in that direction," he replied, leaning over to unlock the door. "I'll drop you off when I swing by."

"You're not some kind of psycho killer, are you?" she asked, as she got in. Pulling her small jacket tighter around her body.

He laughed at her comment, and continued off the road. "Nah, I'm just some moron who was killed years ago and brought back to life in a horrible scientific experiment to wreck havoc upon the living."

She laughed as well. "Let me guess, a romantic-comedy featuring Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Anniston and Melissa George, right?"

"Melissa George? This isn't 30 Days of Nights," he remarked as the two laughed over that.

The ride to the post office consisted of talks about the latest movies, T.V. shows, things on the news, complaints about work, questions about each other's work place, friends, old stories and anything else the two could think of before the large building came into view. Forest parked his truck right in front of the door and cut the engine.

"Walking me to the door?" she asked, as she stepped out.

"Well I was going to mail some things, but sure, why not," he answered as the two headed inside together. He watched as she hung up her jacket and went to grab something to dry herself off. She had long, dirty-blonde hair with a beautiful set of Emerald-green eyes. Her body frame was small, but she could easily raise to anyone's size it seemed. She wore a faded-red shirt that clung to her upper body, before falling loose around her stomach. There was a click of her heels against the ground from her boots, which were hidden beneath a pair of tight jeans. He leaned against the front counter, watching as she disappeared into a side room. "You the only one working here?" he asked.

"Everyone else called in sick," she called. "So, I'm stuck here by myself."

"Tough," he commented, looking around before putting the letters on the counter. There had to be at least ten of them. Each one labeled to people he didn't know. Probably just to Jill's family, if her family was this big.

"Is this it?" she asked suddenly in front of him.

"Should be," he answered, watching as she took the stack and placed them into a tray just a few feet behind her. "By the way, any mail for the S.T.A.R.S. station up the street?"

"Let me check," she spoke, walking off to another section of the room. She shifted through several files of a large cabinet before pulling out a large folder. "Yeah, you got a lot here." she carried the arm full back to him and laid it out in front. "Is that where you work?"

"Yeah," he answered, looking at the large envelopes. It would've been cheaper just to mail them a box. "Damn, I wonder who would send all of this?" he muttered to himself. No names were coming to him.

"S.T.A.R.S., that name seems familiar," the woman commented, as she placed her chin in her hand. Elbow leaning against the counter. "Oh! They were part of that incident thing on the news. Raccoon City. I remember that, it was a few years ago. They blew that city off the map, it was about contamination or something."

"Yeah, a viral leak that moved from the woods and into the city," He spoke, figuring he would probably never see her again. "A lot of people died when they blew it up. Then again, they were all dead anyways." He straightened up and gathered the envelopes in his arms. "Well, I should probably get going. There's work to be done everywhere."

She nodded and stood up. "Well, if there's any other mailing you need to get done, I'm always here."

He smiled at her. "I'm sure we'll get to know each other pretty soon." he turned and started to head out the door.

"Wait! I didn't catch you're name!" she called to him.

"It's Forest," he answered, pushing the door open with his back.

"Karen," she replied with a smile and a wave.

* * *

Jill looked at her computer screen with a blank drawing in her mind. She had been probably sitting there for maybe half an hour now. She grabbed her coffee cup and took the last sip. The station practically ran on coffee, it's what's been keeping them alive for the past few days. She sighed and leaned back in her chair. She probably needed to get these things done, but it just wasn't one of her moods at the moment. She ran a hand through her hair before looking over at the collection of picture frames on her desk. There was her wedding day, a picture of her father, a picture of her mother before she died, and several other collections held in still time. She grabbed one in a silver frame and leaned back in her seat.

It was an old photo, back in Raccoon City. They use to always hold these competitions with other police stations. Like Baseball games and such. S.T.A.R.S. had a killer baseball team. Forest and Joseph were their best hitters, Chris and Richard were the best outfielders they had, and needless to say, Brad was their star runner. Man, no one could catch him once he hit that ball.

"What'cha doin'?" she looked up as Joseph walked through the doors.

"Just looking over this picture," she shrugged, before handing it to him. "You remember those days?"

He nodded, before smiling. "Yeah man, we kicked R.P.D.'s ass at baseball. Man, I loved the look on their faces when the scores were announced. They use to say how better they were than us, but we had better teamwork out there on the field, man." he looked over as Brad walked through the doors next. "Hey man, you remember this game? I swear, no one could catch you. They couldn't even get to the bases fast enough."

"Yeah, Richard got hit in the face that game," Brad replied. "I think it broke his jaw."

"Yeah, that was pretty gross," Joseph commented. "Man, you had to be part of cross-country, or something when you were in high school. There is no way you could've just given up that talent."

"I was, but it didn't really suit me," he replied, crossing his arms. "I was on the basketball team though."  
"You played basketball?" Jill asked, slightly shocked.

"Yeah, I was pretty good at it," he shrugged. "I mean team captain."

"You played basketball?" she repeated.

"Who played basketball?" Edward asked as he came in.

"Brad played basketball," Jill answered.

"Brad played basketball?" he repeated.

"Why did I even bring that up?" Brad muttered with a shake of his head before walking back to his desk.

* * *

Rebecca typed like mad into her computer. She had files-on-files-on-files of new information about Umbrella. Billy had emailed them to her. She never expected this much though. She barely noticed Forest walking into the room till he dropped envelopes on her desk. Causing her to jump in her seat.

"These came in, they have your name on them," he spoke. "It's a lot, so just be careful. We don't want it to be like a bomb or anything."

Curious, she opened the one closest to her. It was filled heavily with paper. She took a piece and carefully pulled it out. Hoping not to rip the paper, or get a paper cut. She looked it over several times before realizing what it was. A document. A file from Umbrella themselves. It was recent too, the date read just a few days okay. Her jaw nearly dropped open at the realization. So, he was right about all of this.

She grabbed her cellphone from her desk drawer and dialed in a quick number. It rang three times before someone picked up. She didn't even give him a chance to talk. "You were serious."

"Have you ever known me to lie?" Billy asked from the other end.

"But..., all of these, they're just from a few days ago," she spoke. "We actually have real documents from them."

"Hey, I promised to help," he reminded.

"But, why didn't you give them to me in person?" she asked.

He let out a low sigh. "It doesn't seem like the time to approach the situation. I figured I'd give you guys some room before showing up. It might be better if I just lay low for awhile."

She nodded. He was probably right. It wouldn't be safe to have a stranger came into the middle of this suddenly. Not with Forest and all of them. They were protective, it would take awhile to get them to trust him. "Alright, well I'll read through them and see what I get. As soon as I find something, I'll call you."

"Alright," he spoke, before hanging up.

She closed her cellphone and dropped it back into the drawer, before beginning to sort through her new-found treasure.

**A/N: And as for the woman named Karen, there may be some romance ahead.**


	5. Crossovers

**A/N: Okay, I finally figured things out, and it'll all pick up within the next chapter or so. Hopefully.**

Jill sat back against the couch, pen between her lips as she ran over the document in front of her. She had never had a fresh, real Umbrella doctrine in front of her. Normally they only found what was left over, and hadn't been destroyed. But all of this, this was just...recent. Probably just last week, or even sooner. She leaned forward and finished the last paragraph. Something about shipment of several creatures to the other side of the base. It listed the transportation needed, and who was assigned to the job.

"Wow, you know, these things talk about everything," she commented, setting it aside. She grabbed her cup of coffee, and took another document. "They list names, creatures, transportations, sections, offices, levels, everything."

"Hey, listen to this," Claire smiled as she leaned forward from her seat. "'My dearest Butch, I've counted the days, and hours since we've last met. It seems more like years since I last saw you. I've seen the looks women in the office give you, and I cannot help but to feel jealousy rage through my veins like a virus. I can't wait to see you again. The basement levels are so dangerous, and I fear for your health. Those creatures are so dangerous and unpredictable. I just don't see what use, or purpose they have here. Till I write to you again, my love, you'll hold a special place in my heart'." she looked up at the other two. "Isn't that just sappy. Who knew Umbrella workers had such 'feelings'."

Jill laughed. "Well, at least we have something against them. Man, looks like we got everything here. Documents, doctrines, love notes, everything. I don't see how we can screw this one up."

"You know Umbrella," Rebecca spoke. "They always have something we don't know." she picked up a note and unfolded it. Noticing a slight hint of perfume. "Looks like another love note." she commented.

"Read it out loud," Claire replied, grabbing her Coke from the table.

She cleared her throat before beginning. "'I must admit this choice of location had me worried at first, but I know you. And you're not the one to make mistakes. This facility is just so cold and more like a dungeon. It's almost like home. This place..., this is where we'll thrive. Where we'll live and control. This will be our home. Together. The both of us. I'm confident in you. You've kept your promises to me in the past, so this should be no different. And once you're rid of your nuisances, we'll be together and no one can come between us. I love you with each ounce of my will. With every cell in my body, and you know that means more than anything else. You know me so well. My mind, my thoughts and my body. Even as I write, I can still feel your breath on my neck and hands on my flesh. And I can't wait for you to be there again. But, we both have work to do, and it will have to wait awhile. I can't wait to see your perfect eyes again and have your cold lips against mine. Yours truly and forever, Melissa'." she finished, noticing the lipstick print by the signature.

"Awkward," Jill remarked. "Who's it to?"

"I don't know, it didn't say," Rebecca shrugged, as she read the letter again, not catching a name. She turned it over to see if one was written on the back. And there was. Her jaw dropped and eyes widened.

"What?" Jill asked. "Who is it?"

"Wesker," was all she said.

Claire spat out the Coke she had in her mouth, choking some before laughing. "Are you serious? Wesker? As in Albert Wesker? As in the man in control of Umbrella and who we have been trying to kill for years, that Wesker?"

"Well, that's the only Wesker I know," Rebecca replied, letting the letter fall on the table.

"He has a girlfriend," Claire laughed, as she stood up. "Ah man, I think my side's cramping."

"This is...this is awkward," Jill spoke. "He is the last person I thought would be getting a letter like that." she looked over as Claire looked like she was about to collapse from laughing so hard. "And who exactly is Melissa?"

"I don't know, but she is really, really weird," Rebecca commented, watching as Claire left the break room.

Claire walked into the lobby, wiping the tears from her eyes as she walked into the front counter room. Steve was typing away at the computer, doing something she really didn't care about at the moment. "Steve, you are not going to believe this," she walked over and sat up on the table by the computer. Her hand accidentally hitting the intercom button. "Wesker has a girlfriend."

There was a moment of silence, before Richard walked into the lobby with just a towel on and water dripping from his skin. "Who has a girlfriend?"

* * *

Joseph stretched as he walked through the grass of the nearby park. Their lives would soon be back in motion and there would be no breaks for them. The least they could do was take a break now and breath. People were running around and playing with one another. Kids chasing one another as parents chatting with neighbors. Ducks waddled out of the way as dogs ran by after a flash of a red tennis ball. 

"Watch out!" he turned at the voice, feeling something hit him in the chest. A blue frisbee bounced off his chest and landed in his hands. He looked up at a bark, just as a lab crashed right into his chest. Knocking him back, and down a nearby hill. The dog followed. Barking every so often before pouncing on him as he came to a stop. It's large tongue ran across his face, and it took him a moment to push him off.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry," the woman apologized, kneeling down beside him as he sat up. Her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a tight, white tank and a pair of baggy, blue shorts. "Buster just has this thing about chasing frisbees and he usually knocks down people, and sometimes kids."

"Ma'am, it's okay," he replied, fixing his bandana, before handing the lab the frisbee. He had been knocked down once before, and freaked out. But this time..., it seemed different. His heart wasn't racing and he wasn't covered in a cold sweat. He felt...he felt fine. The lab let out a muffled bark and dropped the frisbee back into his lap. "So, what's his name?"

"Well, his full name is Sir McBeck-Peanut-Butter-Washington, but I just call him Buster," she answered, laughing some as she recited his name. "I'm sorry, my little sisters named him, so I just go with it."

"Buster? I think he's knocked me down before," he commented, scratching the lab's ear before he seemed to fall into his lap.

"I think you're right, you're not going to report this or anything, are you? I mean, he's not a violent dog, he's just a little bouncy," she spoke.

"Don't worry, it's not like an attack," he assured. "Besides, he seems friendly enough."

"Yeah, I don't know how he'll do as a guard dog," she laughed. "He practically falls over at strangers." she stood up and offered him a hand. He took the help and dusted himself off. "And again, I'm really sorry about that, and before."

"No problem, I've dealt with worse," he replied. "I mean, when you enter the police force, you deal with a lot of weird things."  
"You're a police officer?" she asked.

* * *

Brad walked the path around the park. Watching as people ran by and several different animals scurried between jogs and dogs. Everything just seemed so normal. But, this state of serenity would soon be broken. They would be leaving as soon as the papers from Umbrella were looked over. A plan of action had been made and everyone was prepared for the final battle. Who knew who would live, and who would die. He had a feeling some of them wouldn't make it. But that feeling was always there. Sometimes they just felt invincible, and other times they were vulnerable. 

Nevada. That would be their destination. That's where it would all end. They didn't know what to expect. They didn't know what would happen along the way. They didn't know anything. But, they would just walk in blind. That's what they've always done. And it seems to have been working. They got this far. Or, at least a minority of them. They walked in blind and most of them were wiped out. Bravo team, part of Alpha team and several others who experienced other problems, they had all been taken out. So, maybe only some of them were blessed with being able to walk blind.

Either way though, the ending would not be pretty.

He heard a crowd of 'ohs' and looked up as the basketball courts came into view. A basketball came bouncing over to him and rolled into his foot.

"Sorry man," Marvin called, with several other people. "These people can't play basketball."

"What?" Jim asked from the group behind him. "Man, you the one who threw it all the way over there."

"Whatever," Marvin replied. "Anyways, you wanna join?"

"I don't know, I haven't played in years," he shrugged, bouncing the ball a few times. "I'd probably just slow you down."

"Come on, give it a shot," Marvin spoke. "You'd probably be better than most people here."

He bounced the ball a few more times before shooting it from where he stood. Probably not even within the court. The ball flew through the air before landing dead through the hoop.

"He's on my team!" someone called.

* * *

Lisa packed her things and headed out to her next class, which was practically across the hallway. She pushed her dark locks behind her ears and headed out into the crowded hallways. This would be her last class till the end of the day. She really didn't want it to end. The S.T.A.R.S. team had plane tickets to leave the next day, and she really didn't want it to happen. That meant Forest would be gone, and if she had any kind of problem show up, he wouldn't be there to talk to. She still had Sherry, and Kathy, and the other girls. But, it just wasn't the same without Renny. She was always the one to introduce a new idea, or want to go play a game or whatnot. It just wouldn't be the same. 

"Lisa!" she turned as someone called her name. Watching as Josh ran over to her.

"Hey Josh," she smiled. "What are you up to?"

"I was heading to Algebra," he groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I swear I think that teacher hates me."

"I don't think they're allowed to do that," she replied, leaning against the lockers just outside her classroom.

"Well, she does," he shrugged, before shaking his head. "Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie or, something this weekend. I mean, unless you're busy or something."

"I'll have to check and see, but I doubt I have anything going on," she answered.

"Great, well I'll call you Friday and see what the plans are," he smiled, before heading off to his class.

She nodded and headed into her own. Taking her seat in the back by Sherry. She opened her notebook and started scribbling down the homework assignment before feeling a nudge in her leg.

"So, why were you so late?" Sherry asked with a smile.

"I was talking with Josh," she answered. "We might see a movie this weekend, if nothing's going on. You wanna come?"

"Nah, I wouldn't want to get between you two," Sherry teased, as she pulled out her binder.

"And what's that suppose to mean?" Lisa asked.

Sherry shook her head. "Nothing."

**A/N: That was a minor crossover with Parasite Eve, with Melissa Pierce. I just think her and Wesker make a cute crossover couple. They'll probably make even more scenes.**


	6. Plane

**A/N: Alright, yeah, this one has another crossover couple in it. Carlos and Cynthia, from Silent Hill 4: The Room. Yeah, they make a cute couple to me. Like Melissa and Wesker. You know what, I think I'm gonna throw in more of Carlos and Cynthia, and Wekser and Melissa. That'd be cool.**

Chris looked around as they began to pack things into the back of their vehicles. Everyone seemed to be here. Leon said that his gang would catch up later, they still had some business to clear up. But other than that it seemed like everyone else was here to be accounted for. He did a mental count of everyone he could see. Coming up short.

"Hey Jill, are we missing anyone?" he asked, watching as she came out with the last bag.

"Uh, Carlos said he was going to met us at the airport," she answered, packing in the last item. "He was going to spend some last-minute quality time with Cynthia."

"Who's Cynthia?" Murphy asked as he walked by.

"Carlos' girlfriend," Chris replied.

"Carlos has a girlfriend?" Murphy questioned.

"I thought he's told you this?" Jill asked, as she closed the back of the car. She watched as he shrugged and headed off to where Mikhail was standing. She shrugged as well before looking to Chris. "Ready to go?"

He walked over to her and put his arms around her waist. Hugging her tight. "I don't think we'll ever be ready to go."

* * *

Carlos waited on the sidewalk that ran a course through the park. This was her favorite place to be just before he had to go away. It was quiet and a perfect place for them to just be alone together. She was off buying an ice cream or something. He checked his watch. He had to meet them at the airport at three, so only a few more minutes to spend with her. And who knew, maybe this would be their last time together. That's how he always spent it. Like this would be the last time he'd see her.

He was too busy thinking about her to even notice the group of people walking towards him. One of the guys bumped into him, clashing shoulders, causing the two of them to stumble some.

"Hey man, you looking for a fight or, something?" the guy asked. Probably his same height and size, dressed in a gray hoodie and a pair of baggy pants. He actually had to hold his pants with one hand to keep them up.

"You ran into me," he replied.

"You know, it's people like you that just get on my nerves," the guy commented. "Walking around thinking you know everything and you own it all. People like you need a realty check.  
"What the hell? You're the one who's-" before he could get his sentence out, the guy hit him hard in the left eye. Hard enough to knock him down as pain spiraled across the left side of his face.

"Hey! What's going on?" he looked up as Cynthia walked into view, with her low-cut, see-through, red top and blue miniskirt. Her high-heels clicking against the concrete in rhythmic ticks.

"What? You got something to do with this guy?" the man asked.

She walked straight up to him. "He's my boyfriend. What's up esa?" she closer she walked to him, the more he stepped away from her. "Huh? Come on stupid." she stopped and watched as the group of them didn't seem to flinch much. "What? You want me to take of my earrings? Well here, there they go." she pulled out her double-hoops, watching as the men seem to back off.

"Yeah, okay, we leaving," one of them spoke, before the group ran off.

"Didn't think so!" she called after them, before putting her earrings back in. She turned back and smiled at him, before helping him to his feet. "Are you okay? Did they hit you?"

"Just in the eye," he answered, rubbing the sore spot.

"You know what, I'm gonna go find them," she growled, turning to go.

He grabbed her wrist and brought her back into his arms. "Come on babe, I have to leave in ten minutes, let's at least spend that remaining time together."

She smiled and ran her hands through his hair. "Hmm..., and I wonder what we could do in ten minutes?"

* * *

Jill watched as everyone sort of milled around in the airport station. Once more, they were a large group that everyone seemed to notice. People turning around and glancing at them. Then again, with people like Forest and Joseph around, it wasn't hard to see why they would stare. Hell, even the people at the front desk would look at them when they ordered a large number of tickets. At least they got a discount. She stretched and sat down in one of the seats.

"So, our flight leaves in like five minutes," Murphy noted as he circled a row of seats for the sixteenth time. He looked up at the sight of a familiar figure walking towards them. "Carlos!" he jumped onto the back of the chairs, and leaped off. Landing right on his friend, who stumbled to maintain his weight before collapsing.

"Dude, Murphy, you're crushing my cage," he gasped, pushing him off in time to get some air back into his lungs. He shook his head before standing. "Well at least I know I didn't miss the flight."

"Dude, dude...," Murphy spoke before smiling. "You got some major sex hair going on."

"What?" he asked, running a hand through his messy bangs.

"I knew it, you and your girl were so doing each other on the way over," Murphy laughed.

"Yeah well, don't let anyone hear you say that," Carlos muttered, before walking over to join the group. "So, we got any idea on what we're doing here?"

"Well, here's the plan," Jill spoke, crossing her legs in her seat. "We take the flight and land somewhere in Texas, or what not. We stay the night at some place along the way. From there we'll take another flight to Arizona and probably hang around for a few days, just to readdress our situation and get prepared. Once we've kept our stay, we'll move into Nevada and wait. We haven't received the information on their exact location but we have it narrowed down. And once we receive that, we'll head in and begin project Elimination."

"We're walking blind," Forest rephrased as he walked by.

"I figured that much," Carlos nodded, "Is everyone staying behind well prepared in case anything happens?"

"Yeah, Kathy and Claire are looking after the girls," Chris spoke, sporting a new black eye as he flipped through a magazine.

"Dude, what happened to your eye?" Carlos asked.

"I got in a fight with Claire and she hit me a few good times," he answered, before noticing Carlos's newly forming bruise. "And you?"

"This guy came up and punched me in the eye at the park," Carlos shrugged, as he took a seat across from them. "But, Cynthia pretty much scared them away. She threatened to take off her earrings, so they took off pretty fast."

"Oh, is that where you got your sex hair from," Jill teased.

"Jeez, I'm leaving," he spoke, getting up and walking off.

"She could've just been running her hands through his hair," Ada noted, as she shuffled several things around in her bag.

"Please, have you seen his girlfriend?" Jill asked. "I wonder myself how he managed to get someone like her. She's got some big..." she didn't finish her sentence but made the hand motions to finish it off.

"Flight 198 is prepared for take off. All passengers ready to be seated on Flight 198, please board now," a voice spoke over the intercom.

"Looks like us," Chris commented as he stood, shouldering his bag over one arm. "Everyone ready?"

"Ready till the whole shebang," Richard replied, as everyone stood and grabbed their things before heading to the boarding doors. Traveling through the narrow boarding tunnel, before loading onto the plane. It was a struggle to get everyone into their proper seats, several of them having to trade tickets in order to seat where they were needed or, where they wanted to. Not to mention the baggage and actually getting settled in.

"Man, great elbow room," Edward commented sarcastically, getting squeezed in between Kevin and Forest. "Not to mention head space."

"Yeah, I can't believe they let the Green Giant through the security doors," Forest joked, nudging Edward in the side.

"Well, I'm surprised you got through the security check," Edward replied.

"Yeah, don't remind me," Forest grumbled, crossing his arms. It was a pain to go through the stupid metal detector. Everything seemed to set it off. His necklace, his ring, his metal-enforced boots, everything. He eventually just showed them his badge and said he had a very important mission that was assigned to him from the President and that he needed to get through as soon as possible. It worked, and was partially true. The President was paying for their way. After all, they were saving the world.

"So, we all set?" Murphy asked, sitting next to Carlos and Mikhail.

"As set as we will be for a while," Carlos answered, leaning back in his seat. "Man, I can't wait for this plane to start. I seriously need some sleep right now."  
"Yeah, I'm sure Cynthia took up most of your energy," Jill commented, flipping through Chris's magazine. "Or those scratches down your back."

"Leave me alone," Carlos muttered.

* * *

Claire sighed as she stared out the window. Half of her bored and the other half ticked off at Chris. This was going to be their final battle against Umbrella. The final showdown, this was where they determined who would win and who would lose. And she had to miss out on it all. Why? Because Chris didn't want her to go. He was just being an asshole.

_flashback_

"Whoa, hang on, are you telling me I can't go?" she asked, feeling her anger flare up instantly.

"Claire, it is way too risky to let you go," Chris replied, crossing his arms. He stood firm in his answer. "There's going to be a lot of things going on with this battle. No doubt someone's getting shot and something's exploding. I can't let you just walk into this like nothing's wrong. You're not going."

"I have fought Umbrella almost as long as you have," she growled. "And now you're saying I can't see it all come to an end?!"

"Hey, you're the one who decided to get knocked up," he fired back.

She hit him in the eye right there. Not to mention a blow to the stomach and shoulder.

_End of flashback_

Yeah, she pretty much beat him up. He couldn't do much, except pick her up and lock her in a room. Which is pretty much what he did. So, she was stuck here with Kathy and the girls. Not that she minded that much, but she preferred to be out there blowing off heads and killing people. But, Kathy did need the help, ever since Renny passed away.

She sighed and stood up from her seat and walked into the kitchen where Kathy was busy cooking lunch. "Hey, need any help?"

"Not much," Kathy answered, as she stirred the pot of soup to keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom. "Although, you could get the bread from the freezer and throw it into the oven for me, if you want."

"No problem," Claire shrugged, opening the freezer and grabbing a nearby bag of frozen bread. She opened the bag and put them on a ready pan sitting on the stove, before placing the pan into the heated oven.

"I apologize that you have to stay here with the six of us," Kathy spoke. "We're not all as interesting as what the others are off doing."

"Don't worry yourself over it, besides I'm pretty sure it's all for the better," Claire replied, sitting up on the counter. "I just wish I could be there for the final battle, you know. I've spent all my life taking them out, and here comes the final thing and I have to miss out on it. But, I guess we have to make our sacrifices, huh?" she rested one hand on her growing stomach.

"Yeah, you'll see once you have a child or, two that they come before anything else," Kathy smiled, looking into the living room where the girls were playing Monopoly. "If that means you have to make some of the biggest sacrifices of your time, then it's all you have to give to them."

Claire smiled at the older woman. "Well, then at least I know my child will be raised in a safe environment. More of a safe world then I was living in."

Kathy nodded, as she cut the stove down to low power. "Alright girls, lunch is ready."

**A/N: Yeah, that part with Cynthia and those gang people are from this one comedian, Pablo Fancisco, he's hilarious. It's this part where he talks about his latino girlfriend, and my sister thought that would be perfect for Cynthia. So, why not.**


	7. Vacancy

**A/N: Yeah, well I just want to let you know there will be some romance in this chapter. Just a heads up, don't want you to freak out about it. Not to mention I'm on a roll with typing. I've updated like three times, which is pretty good for me. Hopefully I'll be able to update again really soon, but I can't promise much.**

Rebecca flipped through several folders she had brought along for the plane ride. It would be several hours anyways, so why not catch up on some reading. She looked over at Richard, who was slumped back sleeping. A book laid open in his lap, which he had been previously reading before falling asleep. She smiled and took the book, closing it before tossing it back into his bag. She stretched and rubbed her eyes, before looking around at everyone.

Jill and Chris were sitting a few rows ahead of them. Barry, Kenneth, and Enrico sat behind them. Forest, Kevin and Edward sat behind them, while Carlos, Murphy, and Mikhail sat two rows behind them. Joseph, and Brad sat between the two groups. Leon and Ada sat off to the side, with Ashley and Luis behind them. Regan and Krauser sat in front of them. Everyone seemed accounted for. Billy said he would meet them there, apparently still feeling the group to be a little hostile. And that feeling would remain till something came along to loosen it up. She wasn't sure if she was suppose to do it, or not. No one seemed to listen to her on the subject anyways.

Sighing, she returned to her notes. Flipping through them till she landed on a paper that seemed like it could hold her interest for more than five seconds.

* * *

His cold eyes watched the multiple screens in front of him. One flashed up the sight of scientists moving about a large laboratory. Another showed a shot of several cages that rocked and shook as scientist walked by them, a claw or two slashing out. One camera flashed several different shots from different hallways, showing several people walking up and down the corridors to several armed guards transporting several cages into a large vehicle.

The door behind him slid open, and the sounds of footsteps followed afterwards.

"Sir," a voice spoke, as one of the guards addressed himself. "Transportation has taken place, and we are ready to move out."

A sly smile came to his pale lips. "Excellent. Now, I want you and your troops to move out immediately, if we wish to catch them in time we have to move now." he looked over as a machine nearby printed out a piece of paper. He snatched it from the machine's hold and quickly scanned the newly inked words. "Flight 198 will be arriving in Texas in a few hours. I want you there to greet our newcomers."

"Yes sir," the guard nodded before turning to leave. Nodding to the new figure walking in.

Wesker sat back in his chair, watching as the multiple screens soon flashed off before flickering back on. Each one highlighting a different spot in the plane. One focused on the newly wedded Redfield family, with the former Valentine deeply entranced in a romance novel, while her husband flipped through a magazine. Another on the Chambers girl and her new husband, Aiken. She seemed to be looking over some kind of files, before pulling out a book of some sort. The third camera turned to the former U.B.C.S. members. Mikhail and Carlos were long asleep, while Murphy seemed pretty hooked on a Gameboy in his hands.

Everything was falling right into his plans.

"Is this what you do all day?" a soft voice purred as a pair of arms wrapped loosely around his neck. Her chin rested on his shoulder, letting her cheek press against his own. "Just sit in front of computer screens and watch what other people are doing. You know, we could be doing something even more exciting..." a single finger traced a path down his chest.

His hands gently grasped her wrists. "Believe me, when this is all over, you'll be the only thing I watch," he whispered into her ear. She made a purring sound, her hands gripping the collar of his jacket before the two pulled into a lip-lock. He turned his chair around, hands grasping her waist and pulling her down into his lap. Her hands pressed against his shoulders, her lips pressing into his. He slipped one hand down her back, fingers stroking her spine causing her to usher a moan.

* * *

The hours on the plane seemed to easy by before it finally landed down. The group of them slugged off the plane, trying to shake themselves awake before heading towards the baggage claim.

Rebecca grabbed her bag, before breaking away from the group momentarily. She searched the large group of people coming and going between the stations. Where was he? He couldn't be that hard to identify in a group. He was tall, muscular, kind of a shady-looking person who always had a look to kill. She looked around before spotting him a few yards away leaning against one of the nearby supporting beams. A wave of relief came over her, before she walked over to him. "Hey Stranger."

"About time, I thought something happened to your plane," Billy commented, as he straightened up. "Your trip go over fine?"

"Yeah, a few boring moments here and there, but nothing that hasn't affect any of us," she answered, setting her bag down for a moment. "So, you know where we go from here?"

"It'll be dark soon, and there aren't any hotels in this district," he answered. "So, you'll have to travel out of town to find some place. I doubt there will be much of a problem from there, it'll just place you further out than expected."

She nodded, glancing over her shoulder to look back at her group. They were milling around with one another as they waited for everyone to grab their luggage. "So, still not willing to mingle with the others?"

He shrugged. "Hey, I'll follow but keep my distance. No sense in just walking in immediately. I'm sure that'll probably get me killed."

"I'd hate to say it, but probably," she nodded. "But, as long as you're following us, I'll feel better having you close by."

He smiled some and rubbed her head. "Well, I'll be waiting outside whenever you guys get ready to leave."

She watched as he turned and walked away. Disappearing into the crowd. She felt like she wasn't doing enough to enter him into the group. Keeping him like an outcast to everyone else. She sighed and headed back to the others. Surely something would come along.

Forest watched as the luggage slowly continued to circle around. He hadn't seen his luggage yet, but then again more and more suitcases were being pushed out. Surely it would come eventually. He sighed when he finally saw it slid out. Tired of waiting long as he had, he climbed onto the belt and shifted through the cluster of suitcases to get his own. He picked it up and started to head down.

"Whoa, who knew Sexy could be reckless too," he looked up to see a familiar dirty-blonde woman. He shook his head with a smile and jumped back to the ground.

"Jeez, you following me or something?" he asked, setting his suitcase down as he ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Nah, maybe you're just Visa, or something," Karen smiled, as she grabbed her own bag. "Everywhere I'd like to be. So, what are you here in lovely Texas for?"

He shrugged. "Business, you know how it is. Out saving the world and everything. What about you?"

"Ah, well we all have those kind of jobs to do," she replied. "I've got family business to do, which probably can't be as exciting as what you're doing."

"Who knows," he answered. "I'd rather be spending time with family right now."

"I'd rather be shot in the foot," she replied before playfully shrugging. "I've gotta meet my mom, and get pestered about if I've met anyone and if I'm ready to settle down and have kids yet. I go through this every month." she shifted one bag over her shoulder and repositioned the other one in her hand. "Hey, what do you say you play my prank-date?"

"Prank date?" he questioned. "You mean like tell everyone we're dating even though we barely know each other?"

She shrugged and smiled. "I guess, if that's how you wanna put it. I mean, it's not like we don't 'barely' know each other. We know where we both work, and we know each other's names. So, it's not like we're 'entirely' clueless about each other. So, what do you say? I'll repay you, I mean, I can get you some free shipping at the post office. Come on."

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with it," he started. "But, why not. It's just a little prank right."

"Forest, how many times have I told you to stop harassing pretty woman," Jill teased as she walked by with her bags. "We'll be heading out to the cars, catch up when you can."

"Hey, think I could get your number?" Karen asked. "I mean, not like I'm trying to be a stalker or anything. But, in case she asks."

"Yeah, here we'll just swap numbers," Forest nodded, as the two pulled out their cellphones. Handing them off to type in their numbers before handing them back to their owners. "Well, I guess I should go. Gotta go save the world."

"Cute, I guess we all have to reach that point sooner or later," she smiled, before picking her things up. "Maybe I'll see you around again."

"Maybe," he replied, before the two took their separate ways.

* * *

Jill watched as the scenery flew by through the windows. They had left the airport a few hours ago, where Rebecca informed them that they would have to travel out of town to find a place to stay. Unfortunately the town was basically isolated with trees everywhere surrounding it. So, for the most part, they had just been driving down back roads they had no clue where they lead.

She sighed and went to her magazine, which she probably had read thirty times anyways. She checked the rearview mirror, noticing the line of cars following behind them. The only thing that could be seen was their headlights. It was pitch dark out here, so any little turn could lose someone.

"Hey," Chris spoke. "There's a motel and garage up ahead. Why don't we just stay there?"

"Oh come on, a motel in the middle of nowhere at the dead of night?" Jill asked. "Don't you watch horror movies? This is where the killer always gets the unsuspecting victims."

"Well, unless the entire mob and Godzilla is here, I doubt anyone's going to attack a large group like us," he replied, signaling his turn before slowly sliding into the gravel parking lot. "Not to mention, we've been driving for at least three hours and haven't seen anything else around. So, unless you want to sleep in the car, this place will do." he pulled into one of the parking spaces and cut the engine before getting out. Jill sighed and followed after him.

Leon watched as Chris's car signaled a turn and followed him into the motel parking lot. Glad to finally have some place to sit down and rest at. He pulled in a parking space across from Chris. Cutting the engine, he looked over at Ada, who had dozed off to sleep about an hour ago. He gently shook her by the shoulders, hearing her groan before waving him away. "Hey, we found a place to stay at."

"Oh goody, maybe now I can sleep," she replied sarcastically, as the two stepped out of the car.

"Doesn't seem too shabby," Murphy commented with a shrug of his shoulders as he overlooked the place.

"If you're a guy," Jill remarked as she grabbed a small bag from the back seat. "Let's just sign in, get some sleep and leave as soon as possible."


	8. Stabbed

**A/N: And another update.**

Jill watched as Chris unlocked their room, jiggling the handle some to push the door open. She stepped in and wrinkled her nose in disgust. It smelt like faint smoke, and some pretty bad body odor. She set her bags in a nearby chair, afraid to let it touch the old, stained shaggy carpet. The room was pretty plain, with ugly wallpaper for one. The carpet had to be from the 1900s. The bed was pretty bland itself, with a few pieces of furniture and a bathroom that wasn't all too appealing. She looked at her tired reflection in the semi-broken mirror, before heading out at the sight of a cockroach crawling out from behind the toilet.

"I changed my mind, I'll drive the rest of the way till we find some other place to stay at," she spoke.

"Jill, we already paid for the room, can you just get over it and pretend it's better than it actually looks," Chris sighed, sitting down on the bed as he rubbed his tired eyes.

"Eww, don't sit on the bed cover," Jill replied. "They don't clean those you know. Who knows who's been on. For all we know Carlos and his girlfriend were here and who knows what they do."

Chris laughed before standing. "I'm gonna walk around and see how everyone else is doing, alright?" he walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't let the cockroaches get to ya while I'm gone."

"Funny, well I'll be getting out my boots on this one," she remarked, watching as he left the room. She sighed and rubbed her arms. She really didn't feel comfortable here. She could kill for a shower, but at the sight of the bathroom, she didn't really want one that bad. Slipping off her jacket, she walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back. Not really too thrilled to be staying here. She wasn't as tired as she thought she was, at least not at the sight of some old bed sheets. Sighing, she turned and walked over to the T.V. sitting on the dresser. She wasn't really one to watch T.V. all the time, but it wouldn't hurt to try. She grabbed the remote close by and switched it on. Only to be greeted by the sound of static. "Great, not even cable," she muttered, before noticing the stack of tapes on top of the T.V. She grabbed one and looked it over. "Oh, let me guess, looks like porn." she shrugged and tossed it.

* * *

"So, tell me this all over again," Joseph spoke, as he tossed a tennis ball at the ceiling. Having it bounce and land back into his hands. He stretched out on the bed, before resuming his tossing. "You met this lady on the side of the road, gave her a lift to the post office, got her name and then her number at the airport. Man, you don't waste anytime, do you?"

"Hey, she asked first," Forest replied, as he messed around his cellphone, not that he got much reception out here anyways. "Besides, she's pretty hot, so why not. I mean, you can't really object to that."

Joseph shrugged, watching as he threw the ball a little too hard at the ceiling and it bounced off around the room. Knocking a lamp off a table, before smashing into the pile of videos on top of the T.V. "Damn. Think they'll notice the lamp if we piece it back together?"

"You're probably doing them a favor by getting rid of it," Forest shrugged, as he put his cellphone into his pocket and walked over to where the videos had scattered everywhere. He shrugged and picked one up. "Hey, you gotta hear this one, _'A One Night Nightmare'_. What's that sound like?"

"Sounds like porn if you ask me," Joseph shrugged. "Or some kind of horror movie." he sat up and stretched. "Hey, this motel had a pool, right?"

"I think so, or at least a hole in the ground filled with water," Forest replied, as he picked up the rest of the videos.

"Good enough for me," Joseph said. "I think I'm gonna head out and spend a while in the water."

"Alright, just don't go skinny-dipping this time," Forest joked, watching as his comrade walked out the room. Not before flashing a bird. He flipped through the videos, before finding one that caught his interest. _Sea of Blood_. Didn't seem to bad. Seemed more like a horror movie though. He shrugged and slipped it into the VCR. He didn't have anything else to do, so why not.

He sat back and hit play, just as the screams began.

* * *

For once Ada was glad to have brought along her laptop. Normally it was just a hassle to bring and keep around, but at least it keep her from blowing her brains out in this motel. For one, the place was disgusting, and she couldn't stand the thought of people even designing this place. Whose ever choice to chose that carpet to go with the wallpaper and bed covers, needed to be shot themselves.

She signed into her main page, before looking over at the sleeping figure next to her. His head rested on her shoulder, with his arms wrapped around her waist. She was surprised to see him sleeping in this place. And had to stop herself from waking him up in case he contracted some kind of disease from the bed covers. She went back to her laptop and checked out the files she had. Most of them were copies of emails.

Emails she had received from Linda and Rita within the last few months. She hadn't heard from the two recently, then again they had just reclaimed their lost lovers, so she didn't expect to hear from them for a while. From what she understood, the Outbreak team wouldn't be joining them for this fight. They were handling business in the mountains, so she could only imagine it was just a few small incidents and left over bases. Nothing too chiefly important.

Or at least not as important as their mission at the moment.

She jumped, and nearly out of her skin, at the sound of loud banging on the connecting door. It sounded like someone was beating a chair against the door. But, for all she knew, no one was beside them. They were the last room on the corner.

"Jesus..., who is that?" Leon muttered as he sat up. Running hand blindly through his hair.

"I don't know," she answered. "But, for all I know, it's no one."

* * *

Chris whistled to himself as he walked by the wall of doors to his right. He had finished his run of the rooms. They had to rent out a lot of rooms, at least the front clerk guy gave them a discount. Not much, but enough. Everyone seemed to be out and about though. Forest was rooming with Joseph, Kevin and Edward, but at the moment, he was the only one in there. Joseph had gone to the pool, and the other two were walking around exploring, or something like that at least. Everyone else though seemed to have retreated inside for the night. At least, those he knew of.

He looked up ahead, watching as a figure dashed around the nearby corner. He stopped in his tracks. He shook his head, just telling himself it was probably Edward or, Kevin, or someone else who had snuck out. But, then why didn't they wave or, come over to chat? Maybe they didn't see him. Then again, out here, there really wasn't much to see. He shrugged, before continuing on. He stopped at the sound of footsteps fading off. Okay, now he had the feeling someone was messing with him. He checked his surroundings before going on.

He had a weird feeling something was going on...

* * *

Carlos finished up the last words of his text-message to Cynthia, before sending it off to her. He closed his phone and stretched out on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, before flipping his phone open once more. A picture of her in her cute, Latin glory was set as his background. She had a cute smile and beautiful eyes. She could light up the room with her fun, flirty attitude. He wondered how he managed to get someone like her.

"Dude..., dude, dude, dude, just ask her to marry you already instead of sitting there staring at her picture," Murphy commented, as he laid on his stomach on the other bed. His Gameboy in hand as he seemed pretty focused on just that.

"This coming from the guy who still plays his Gameboy," Carlos replied with a shake of his head. "What are you playing anyways?"

"Pokémon," he answered.

"Which one?" Carlos asked.

"Uh, Yellow," Murphy spoke.

"Yellow? Dude that game is like centuries old. That game's older than your grandmother," Carlos laughed, as he stood and walked over to where he had placed his drink he bought from a nearby vending machine.

"Hey, don't diss Grandma Cora," Murphy replied, looking up at a knock on the door. "I got it." he rolled off the bed, before heading over to the door. Still playing his game, as he opened the door with one hand. Not even bothering to look up from his screen. "What can I help you with?" he felt a sharp pain in his side, before hearing the sound of footsteps running down the pathway. He closed the door slowly, before looking down at the knife handle sticking out of his side.

"Who was it?" Carlos asked, before noticing his friend's delayed reaction. "Mur'?" he walked over to him. "What? Your game freeze up?"

"Dude..., dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude," Murphy answered, repeating the same word over and over, before he turned around and put a hand on his shoulder. "I just got fuckin' stabbed."

* * *

Jill looked up from her notebook as her cellphone rang. She shuffled through her bag, before pulling it out. Reading the Caller ID, before flipping it open. "Carlos. What do you want?"

"Yeah, uh, Murphy just got stabbed," he answered.

She sighed, before replying. "Why would Murphy do that to himself?"

**A/N: Alright, has anyone seen that movie Vacancy? If you have, then this may seem kind of familiar. I loved the movie, so I thought it would be cool to base a few chapters off of it. Anyways, I'll feel ya in one what exactly was on those videos in the next chapter. And it's not what Jill or, Forest think it is.**


	9. Just Started

**A/N: Finally managed to get around to typing. Had a lot of homework to do lately, mainly because I've been putting it off for a while now. Bad habit.**

Lisa fixed her hair as best she could, not really finding anything special to do with her thick, dark locks. She adjusted her patched-up jacket before heading to the living room.

"About time," Sherry commented, as she helped hook up an XBox to the T.V. "For a moment I thought you weren't going to show up and miss your date."

"It's not a date," she objected. "We're just going to go see a movie. You can come if you want to."

Sherry shook her head and grinned. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of you two lovers." she watched as Lisa groaned and collapsed on the nearby couch. Ever since she had heard of Josh asking her to see a movie, she couldn't let Lisa go about it. "What movie are you guys going to see?"

"We don't know yet, I guess we'll just see when we get there," Lisa shrugged. "If we get there." she looked up as the front door opened and closed, before hearing the trotting feet through the house.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you late," Claire spoke, wiping sweat from her brow. "I've been doing some errands for Kathy and lost track of time. But it's not five yet, so we can still beat traffic."

"Alright," Lisa nodded, as she stood. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"Nah, I've got Halo to keep me busy," Sherry smiled. "Go have fun."

Lisa shrugged and followed after Claire, who went back outside to the minivan in the driveway. She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled in, as Claire lifted herself behind the wheel and pulled out of the driveway.

"I cannot believe I have to drive this 'thing'," Claire muttered as she pulled onto the road and sped off. "Minivans are like the retards of the car society. But no, can't ride my motorcycle because it's 'too dangerous'."

Lisa had to laugh at Claire's rant. "Come on, it's not that bad. Besides a minivan is more of a family car anyways. And that's sort of what you are working your way towards."

"Maybe, but I am not buying a minivan," she continued. "Maybe something more of a Passport, or an Explorer, but God strike me down before I buy a minivan."

"Got something against minivans?" Lisa asked.

"My mom use to have a minivan," Claire answered. "And I hated that stupid car. She use to drive us around in it all the time, and people would laugh at the car. Which is why when I bought my own car, it was a motorcycle. I was a rebel in the days. Now though, I might be slowly sinking into the life of a normal person."

"I doubt that would ever happen," Lisa replied, watching as Claire seemed to push the speed limit on every road. It was in almost no time before the mall came into view, and Claire sped through the roads and turns before coming to a screeching halt in front of the theatre entrance. She undid her seatbelt and slipped out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, I'll call you when the movies over."  
"Alright, and just remember, don't do anything Forest wouldn't do," Claire reminded before thinking it over. "I'll rephrase that, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I'll try," Lisa teased, closing the door and watching as she drove away. She turned and searching the front platform for a familiar face. She noticed him almost instantly, he had his back to her and was examining the recently released movies that were playing. Smiling, she snuck up on him. Grabbing his arm at the last minute and playfully resting her head on his shoulder. "So, what are we watching?"

"Uh, I'm not sure yet," he answered, after getting her surprise jump. "I was thinking of something more towards a scary movie."

"That's fine," she nodded. "I like scary movies."

* * *

Chris was just about to sneak around the corner to see if someone was following him, just as his cellphone rang. The noise traveled easily through the empty air, startling himself. He let out a weak sigh and pulled it out. Cursing himself for being so jumpy. "Yeah, Redfield here." he answered.

"Chris, man, this place is fucking messed up," it took him a moment to recognize the voice.

"Forest, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"Dude, those videos in your room," Forest started. "Just sitting on top of the T.V., watch one of them and you'll see what I mean. They are messed up seriously man."

"Hang on, what are you-" Chris said, just before the other line went dead. He sighed and closed his phone before redialing in a number. He let it ring a few times before someone picked up. "Jill, something weird is going on with Forest."

"Tell me about it, Carlos called a minute ago. Apparently Murphy got stabbed," she spoke. "I told you this was a bad place, it messed with people's minds here."

"Jill, don't start," Chris muttered. "Anyways, back on task, Forest said something about those videos in our room. Something about them being messed up or, whatnot."  
"Oh yeah, those 'porn' videos," Jill teased.

"Sure whatever, can you just watch one and see what it's about?" Chris asked. "See what Forest is talking about."  
"Anything for you babe," she answered. "Where are you anyways?"

"Just looking around," he replied, before spotting a shadow dart across the second floor. "I'll be back in a few minutes baby."

"See ya then," she said, before hanging up. Sighing, she stood and walked over to the T.V., and picked up one of the random videos. "Nothing like watching two people get it on." she joked, before slipping it into the VCR. She stepped back as the recorder whirred and the screen flickered. There was a blood-curling scream that caught her off-guard and she fell back on the bed in surprise. The blackness on the screen flashed and the video began.

A single woman ran across a large platform, with something just outside the screen chasing her. Blood ran down her arm and left large spots on the ground to follow. The camera caught the sound of beating wings just as the large creature came into view. It looked like a bat. A big ass, motherfucking bat. Probably seven times larger than the lady. It swooped down upon her, slamming her into the ground. The woman screamed as it's claws sank into her shoulders and lifted her into the air. The creature flew around a few times before dropping her hard onto a nearby flight of stairs. There was a crack as the woman landed and her body went limp. The creature flew out of view for a moment, just as a hint of movement came from the woman's arm. In a flash, the creature was back on her. Landing on it's feet over her, before grasping her head in-between it's jaws. There was a sickening crack as it's jaw crushed her skull to nothing more that fragments. Blood and tissue oozed out from it's teeth, as it threw it's head to the side and tore off what was left of her head. The body fell back as blood spilled out onto the stairs.

Jill found herself huddled against the backboard of the bed, without even realizing how she got there. She watched as the screen went black and the tape ejected. She sat there, too afraid to move forward. Who the HELL would put that in a motel room for anyone to watch? She crawled off the bed and went for her cellphone. She was in the middle of dialing in Chris' number went her phone cut off. "What?" she whispered, trying it once more. Something was disrupting her signal. She tried once more to no avail. Sighing, she looked around before going for the door. She screamed as someone banged against the connecting door next to them. She pressed herself against the front door as the continuous banging ravaged on.

Rebecca and Richard were next to them, but why were they hitting the door?

"Give it a rest you two," she muttered, jumping as someone knocked on the front door. She pulled it open, surprised to see the couple standing before her.

"You okay?" Rebecca asked. "We heard you scream. And you look a little pale too. Did something happen?"

Jill let her eyes move between the two. "Wait, you mean you guys aren't in your room?"

"Not that I know of," Richard answered.

"Then...," she turned to the door that was rattling. "Who's that?"

* * *

"Why weren't you paying attention when you opened the door?" Carlos asked, as he helped Murphy with his newly received wound.

"I was playing my Gameboy," he answered.

"Why are you so addicted to that game anyways?" Carlos questioned. "It's stupid."

"Whoa, hang on, first of all I just managed to get my Pikachu to be happy," Murphy started. "Second, you obviously haven't played this game before. Thirdly, the guy obviously just ran by, so I probably wouldn't have gotten a good look at him anyways. Fourth..., actually I don't have anything for a fourth, but refer back to number one and we'll be on the same card here, my friend."

Carlos shook his head and walked over to the sink to wash the blood off his hands. What was the point in even treating the wound? Murphy had the viruses to help him along with the healing process. Maybe because in some mind set, he was hoping he was still alive and not some kind of zombie freak that he was now. In a loose sense of terms. He started the faucet, but watched as red liquid flushed out. Blood? In a motel?  
"Hey, what smells good?" Murphy asked, walking over with interest. "Is that blood?"

"Yeah," he nodded, watching as his friend stuck his fingers under it before pulling them back. He rubbed the textures together, before smelling it.

"It's blood alright," Murphy spoke. "Type AB, which is a very nice type."  
"Can you stop acting like a freak for once?" Carlos asked, as he shut off the faucet. "Something messed up is going on, and I have a feeling we just need to haul ass and get out of here."

"Maybe we should get Mikhail," Murphy started, before looking back as his cellphone rang. He shrugged and walked over to the table. Snatching it up before flipping it open to answer. "Hello?"

Carlos shook his head and wiped his hand on a nearby towel, listening in on Murphy's conversation.

"Yeah, I know where he is..., he's right there," Murphy spoke, pointing to him. "What do you mean? He's right there...he's standing a few feet from me, of course I see him...what do you mean check on him? Dude, you are fucking crazy. There's nothing wrong with him. What do you-..., you know what, here I'll ask," he put his phone to his chest. "Carlos, are you okay?"

"Yeah..., why?" he answered.

"This creepy guy on the other line wants to know," he spoke, before going back to his phone. "Dude, he said he was okay..., you know what, fuck you." he hung up the phone and chucked it halfway across the room. Luckily it landed on the bed.

"Who was that?" Carlos questioned, watching as Murphy collapsed on the bed.

"I don't know, some guy who kept saying 'Is your friend in view?', 'Is your friend alright?', 'Check your friend', and all that what not," Murphy replied. "He sounded really creepy, like one of those murderer guys from T.V."

"Uh-huh," Carlos said slowly. "Okay, some creepy guy has your number, I'd watch my back Mur'."

"What are you talking about? He kept asking about you," Murphy spoke.

Carlos was about to reply before a knock on the door cut him off. He sighed and went to go answer. "Hope no one's there to stab me," he muttered to himself, checking the eyepiece first. No one stood in view. Shrugging, he opened the door anyways. There was a flash as a heavy force hit him square in the chest, knocking him to the ground. A large figure sat over him. Before he could do much to defend himself, the tip of a knife made it's way across his throat.

* * *

Edward headed back to his room after looking around the place for a while. Nothing special, just like any other motel. Low-budget, no detail, no direct supervision, nothing to see. But, if it got them a good night's rest then it did it's job.

Just as he got to the front door and was about to get out his key, he heard a roar of an engine. He turned curiously. No one had plans to leave, did they? Most likely Jill though, she absolutely hated this place. He watched as headlights appeared in the forest line. Probably another visitor looking for a cheap place to sleep. He shrugged and went to unlock his room.

**A/N: Yeah, couldn't think of anyone else, so I threw in Edward. Haven't heard of him in awhile.**


	10. Hostage Situation

**A/N: Yeah, it's been a while since I last updated. My sister just got Umbrella Chronicles, and we've been playing it non-stop for the past few days. It's a crazy addicting game. So far, I love it! my sister died over the Rebecca-Richard part, and I fell for the Jill-Chris scenes. It's a great game. Well, onto the story now.**

"Good lord, what the hell is everyone doing?" Kevin asked, as he looked up from his crossword puzzle at the sound of people opening and slamming doors. He watched as Edward shrugged before sitting down on the other bed.

"I don't know, sounds like they're running up and down the hallways too. Probably just playing some prank on one another," he answered, running a hand through his hair as he stared at the ceiling. "I mean, knowing them."

Kevin nodded before going back to his crossword. Doors were being slammed and shaking in the frames. There was what might've been a crashing sound of something breaking. He thought he heard a scream for a moment, but put it off. Only to hear it again. "Okay, I'm going out to see what's happening." he threw his pencil and book to the side and started towards the door. He barely made it before something went flying through the window. He watched as a small black object flew through the air of glass shards before hitting the ground. It took seconds for his mind to register what it was.

Grenade.

The moment the word clicked in his head, the object exploded into flames. Everything within a ten yard radius was blown backwards. He felt his body being lifted and forced through the door, over the railing and into mid-air. Flames surrounded his body, just before a cloud of dirt and sand was thrown up as he made rough contact with the ground. His eardrums felt as though they had ruptured, and he thought he felt blood oozing from his ears. He didn't dwell much on the thought and felt darkness overcome him.

* * *

"Jill...what's going on?" Rebecca asked, before jumping as the door erupted into shards of wood. The sound of an automatic weapon on the other side tore through the air as the bullets blasted down the door. The young Medic screamed before acting on instinct and pulled Jill out of the way before she was caught in the rain of bullets.

"Okay, what the fuck is happening around here?!" Jill growled, holding her hand over a wound on her right arm. It wasn't deep, but a bullet managed to tear through the flesh. She stayed close to Rebecca, who clung to Richard.

"Come on, let's get away from here," Richard spoke, as the trio began to retreat away. The roar of an engine and a pair of blinking headlight stopped them in their tracks. The car kept focused on them, as five men stepped outside. One of them bouncing an object in his hand before giving it a good throw. There was a crash, before a loud explosion rocked the top floor of the building. They watched as debris flew out in all directions, before a body hit the ground not too far away. "What the...who are these people?"

"Kevin?!" Rebecca called, noticing the charred body. There was a gunshot that went off as she made a move to go to his aid. She hopped back in surprise, before turning to watch the five men brandished their heavy weapons. She made a soft gasp as the realization that they were trapped against five weapons, and nothing to their advantage. Unless the others were to come out, if they weren't pre-occupied.

"Who are you?" Jill asked, showing not the least bit fear. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'll answer one at a time," one of the men spoke. "First, we are with Umbrella. Second, we have orders to take out all survivors. To eliminate S.T.A.R.S. from the face of the Earth."

"What? They knew about us?" Richard whispered, as he placed himself between the two women and the five guns trained on them.

"Someone must've leaked us out," Jill hissed quietly, passing a look to Rebecca.

"Don't even...," she replied. "He wouldn't do this."

"That's what they all say," Jill spoke.

* * *

Taking heavy breaths, Ada tightened her grip on her Blacktail. Holding it close to her face as she pressed her back against the cold wall. She had heard the screams, seen the headlights, heard the explosion above them that left piles of plaster in their room where the ceiling had caved in some. She knew who was behind all of this. Umbrella. No doubt.

"Looks like our plans are stopped here," she commented, keeping a tight hiding place in the bathroom.

"Seems like someone slipped," Leon replied, across from her on the other side of the doorway. He had a perfect view of the front window from his spot. "So, maybe this plan won't work out as well as we've hoped."

She shrugged, before passing a glance to the window on the other side of the bathroom, right by the shower. She wondered if it was worth keeping an eye on. It was small, so no one could fit through it. Not to mention blurry, so no one could get a clear view out of it. Still, no point in overlooking a few things. She slowly made her way to it, keeping a clear eye on Leon, just to make sure he didn't make any sort of motion that someone had gotten in. She couldn't see much outside through the smeared glass, and was shocked to find that nails protruded from the wood around. Still, she couldn't help but to let out a bitter laugh.

"Something funny?" he asked, watching as she came back to her post.

"Yeah, they fucking played us," she answered. "The windows are nailed shut. They've been expecting us to come here. Some shitty luck we have."

"You gotta be kidding...," Leon groaned, before tensing as he watched a figure pass the window. Looked like someone part of some kind of organization. Umbrella soldier. The man stopped right in front of their window and peered in. He was glad Ada had the smart idea to cut the lights out beforehand. The man peered in for a few moments, before turning and walking off. "Not the brightest ones." he stepped back into the main room, keeping his gun trained on the window.

"Any plans?" Ada asked.

"Nope," he answered. "I figured we just run out like maniacs shooting and cussing up a storm."

"Sounds like fun," she replied dryly, looking around before watching as he came up to the door and unlocked it. "What are you doing?"

"I wasn't joking in case you were wondering," he spoke.

* * *

Joseph stretched before sinking in a little deeper into the cool water. At least the pool seemed clean, probably cleaner than the water from the shower head. The sky was clear, but pitched like midnight. The moon could be clearly seen from where he was. Finally, a moment of down time in all of this rushed process. He hated to think how this would all come to an end when it was all done and over. How everything would be.

He closed his eyes for a moment and ran a hand over his bandana. The last year or so had been a rush into action and danger. This would be the last thing though. When this was over, it would all be over.

He froze at the sound of someone screaming. It sounded like Rebecca to him. He started to get out just as he heard a car screeching to a stop. Seconds later, he watched as the upper part of the building rumbled. There was the sharp sound of an explosion as piece of debris blew out. He barely had time to avoid being slammed as huge pieces of the building came down.

"What the hell...?" he whispered, before grabbing his towel and things from the nearby table. He slipped into the shadows as another car slowly slid by. He could detect several large men in the back. Umbrella soldiers. Damn! Did someone rat them out? He couldn't dwell on that thought right now. He had to go see what was going on. He stayed in the shadows, before slipping to the hallways between the rooms. Keeping his movements still as the car seemed to follow his movements. He would lose them soon enough. Separating himself into a 'Staff Only' door. Funny enough, there only seemed to be one man running the place.

Running down the corridor, he froze at the echo of a door on the far side pulling open before slamming close. He ducked into a nearby closet, and peered out the door just enough to keep a sight of the figure. He could hear a pair of heavy footsteps coming towards him. He readied himself and watched as the dark figure passed by. He lunged out and knocked the figure down to the ground. He wrestled with the figure for a moment, before feeling a strength that threw him over and into a nearby wall. He felt his skull make contact and rubbed the sore spot as soon as he came to a still motion.

"What the hell was that for, man?" he looked up and smiled as he recognized the person.

"Dude, Forest, I did not know that was you," he laughed, before standing and dusting himself off.

"Hey, there are some weird things going on around here, I don't think it's a time to laugh," Forest advised. "First those videos, then those scream, and now that explosion. Something is going on, and I don't like it."

Joseph nodded in response. "It's Umbrella, I'm positive."

"Umbrella? How did they know we were here?" Forest questioned.

"I don't know, seems like someone ratted us out," Joseph answered.

* * *

Chris watched carefully as the five soldiers held Richard, Jill and Rebecca to the wall. There wasn't much he could do that wouldn't put the trio in danger. He had been waiting and watching for awhile. No doubt there were more soldiers around. They were hiding. Those were the ones he had been chasing after for the past half hour. He had to think of some kind of plan to draw their attention away from the three. Some kind of distraction.

Before an idea came to mind, he looked up as the wind chimes not too far away began to click together. But there was no wind out here. Either way, he noticed several of the soldiers turn to look. They muttered momentarily, before two of them were dismissed to go check it out. Now was his chance. He snuck out the side of the building, and kept hidden within the shadows. He kept close to a few abandoned cars off to the side, seemed like they belonged to former visitors. He stayed hidden on the opposite side, peering through the cracked and smudged windows to keep an eye on the two soldiers. Using his gun now would be dangerous. It would give off his location. He needed a weapon that was quieter.

Coming up closer to the men, who were searching the nearby grounds for any type of distribution, he put his gun away and brandished his knife. Hopefully this would work. One of the soldiers walked off to search in a different direction, leaving just one that had his back to him. He moved closer and closer till he was in perfect range. Tightening his grip on his knife, he struck. Putting a hand over the man's mouth as his knife sank deep into his spine. He waited for his body to still in movement, before gently easing him to the ground. He hid the body in some nearby brush, before continuing to his next target.

The second man was more difficult, he would constantly check behind him and searching anything for movement. Not to mention there weren't that many places to hide. He slowly made his way over to the man, hiding behind trees and dumpsters, before finding no other place to hide. He could try a full-frontal attack, but that would likely have him shot. He could try to sneak up on him, of course another time to be shot. He could try to shot him from here, but that would alert other soldiers to this spot. Unless..., they mistaken the shot for one of their own.

It was a good of chance of any. Pulling out his gun, he leveled it to his target. Aiming for the back of the man's head. He couldn't assure a direct hit, but pulled the trigger anyways. There was a sharp crack as the bullet made it's way into the man's skull. He fell effortlessly afterwards.

Now time to get the hell away from the area before more men showed up.

* * *

Billy pulled back into the shadows after hearing his bullet make dead contact with the wind chime. Maybe his aim wasn't so bad after all. That would be a distraction enough to allow the soldiers to separate and for someone else to take them out. While the situation seemed simple, it was far more complex to those who understood it. Umbrella soldiers weren't easy to trick. The chime was a stroke of luck.

But, if someone was to try to make a full frontal attack now on the three left standing, one of those three would fire. Possibly killing Rebecca, or one of her other two friends. They had this thing planned out. Hold three as their hostage, as they sent a car around to survey the area. The only reasons none of the 'inhuman' survivors could attack was because they held their 'human' friends at their mistake. Meaning, those more likely to die were at the mercy of the actions for those who were close to invincibility.

"So, any plans?" he glanced across from him at the voice. He had met up with one of the S.T.A.R.S. members, but wasn't real clear on his name yet. He thought it was Brad, but wasn't sure.

"Right now we have to find out a way to take out all three of those men, without alerting their counterparts," he answered. "The best way to do that is to have all three men taken out at once. That would lower the possibility, but still put someone at a greater risk."

"I think I know someone who can do the job," Brad spoke, before turning away and continuing back into the building. They were on what was left of the second floor, and had to be careful to where they stepped. But, he knew once the Umbrella soldiers got hint that people were up here, they'd come in like vultures to a kill. Stepping over debris and past the fires that still flickered on, he moved to the far end of the floor where some of the rooms were in better shape. "Krauser!" he called to the blonde-haired man that stood just outside a door.

"What?" he growled, running a hand through his hair.

"We got a plan that can only work if we have your help," Brad explained, crossing his arms. "We got Jill, Rebecca, and Richard pinned down by several Umbrella soldiers. We need to take out all of them at once, and you're the only one I could think of that can do such thing."

Krauser nodded. "Alright, as long as it slaughters them, I've got it. How the hell did Umbrella know where we were?"

"It's Umbrella," Brad answered simply.

"What's going on? Is everyone okay?" Regan asked, stepping outside of their room. Her blonde hair was loose and toppled over her shoulders in a tangled mess. "That explosion..."  
"We've got it all under control, the key plan to this is to just keep hidden. Let them come to find us," Billy spoke. "That way, we can reverse their tactics and have the art of surprise on our side."

"You sound like you know what you're doing," Krauser commented.

"I've been doing this for some years now," he replied. "After awhile, it's not all too surprising."


	11. Flames

**A/N: Alright, just to clear some things up, I do have a tendency to forget charactes. A lot of things are going on, not to mention there are a lot of people to cover. So, do forgive me if I give some people bigger parts than other. I can't remember every single person all at once. I will remember them later though. I have a horrible memory.**

"So, you're just gonna hold us here for awhile?" Richard asked, shifting his weight to one foot as he crossed his arms.

"Until our other two comrades come back," one of the soldiers spoke, just as a gunshot echoed through the air. "That's not one of our shots."

"Which means...," another soldier started, turning to the three with his weapon drawn.

The trio braced themselves for what would happen next. Just before either of the three soldiers could pull the trigger, a figure came flipping off the edge of the second story balcony. Landing with a heavy thud, Krauser stood quickly and swung out with his mutated arm. Slicing each of the Umbrella soldiers in half at the waist. He watched as several different body parts fell at different times, before turning to the three.

"Thanks...," Jill shrugged, unsure of really what to say. She jumped as Brad hit the ground next to her from his jump. "Jeez! You guys just come flipping out of nowhere, you're going to give one of us a heart attack."

"Heart attack later. Now, we have to get out of the open," Brad advised, just as headlights appeared around the corner. "Come on!" he broke the doorknob of the nearby room before ushering everyone inside. Slamming the door and closing the curtains just as the car slid by. Everyone backed into the far corner of the room, hearing the engine cut off and the doors open.

"What now?" Richard asked.

"Well, none of us have our weapons on hand," Rebecca spoke. "And they have weapons out there. We outnumber them, but they can take us out with firearms. Not to mention we're cornered in this room if they find us. So, I suggest we just sit back and wait till they move on, and it's safer for us to continue."

"Sounds like a plan," Jill nodded, before looking up at gunshots.

* * *

Murphy caught a glimpse of the man just as he kicked open the door and tackled Carlos to the ground. He was up in seconds, his Gameboy tossed to the side as he landed a solid kick to the man's head. He heard his heavy boot crack open the man's skull, and watched as his limp body bounced off the nearby wall and landed hard on the ground. He walked over and brought his foot down on his neck. Hearing the sickening crack of his spine separating from his skull, just to make sure. He turned back to Carlos, who had rolled over to one side and held a hand to his throat. "Dude, man, are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down beside him.

"Yeah, it just broke the skin," Carlos answered, pulling his hand away to reveal the blood on his fingertips. He sat up, before glancing over at the limp figure against the wall. "Dude, what the hell did you do?"

"I sent Pikachu after him," Murphy joked, as he stood, before offering Carlos a hand. "Not really, I just kicked his skull in and broke his spine. Nothing too big."

"Sure," Carlos muttered, taking his hand. He shook his head, before realizing the movement it put on his wound. Bad idea. But they didn't have any medical items laying around. Only Rebecca did. But, it would probably be a bad time to try and get her. With maniacs running around and attacking people in their rooms. Didn't sound like a good time to go out and take a moonlit walk.

"Here man, you need to get some kind of towel or something to stop that bleeding," Murphy commented, as he walked back to the counter area. He searched around before finding a small towel folded across a hanger. He grabbed a bottle of water they kept off to the side, which they had bought from an earlier convenience store. He tossed the two objects to Carlos, who took it from there. Walking over to the door, he was about to close it, before hearing a car pull in. A door slam and the sound of footsteps. There was another door that opened, followed by running footsteps. Within seconds, a rain of bullets flew by their door. He watched as Leon and Ada ran by with their weapons drawn. Taking shots onto a group of soldiers who looked suspicious.

Umbrella.

He grabbed his Assault Rifle from the inside of their door and stepped out just enough to get a good shot of the group. He flicked the gun to automatic, and pulled the trigger, just as Leon and Ada ducked into another open room. Bullets tore through the air and took out several of the soldiers. Three of them fell in blood, while the rest took shelter behind their vehicles. He stepped back into their room, and closed the door before locking it.

"What the hell did you do this time?" Carlos asked,

"Uh, nothing, just go back to what you were doing," Murphy answered, as he changed clips.

* * *

"What's going on?" Ashley whispered through the darkness of their room. The lights had gone off just minutes before. She couldn't see much, her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness quite yet. She could just barely detect movement two feet in front of her.

"I'm not sure yet," Luis answered, as he made his way across the room. The lights went off just seconds after the explosion. It sounded like a grenade, but who would use one here? He made several guesses as different scenarios played through his mind. No doubt it was Umbrella. But how did they know they were here? He didn't know much about the organization, but they were far more advanced than the Los Illuminados. They probably had cameras or, spies out that kept a watch on them. There went their ambush mission. Drawing back the curtain, he peered out. Just barely able to see two cars parked out front, with several men standing around. There were gunshots and several people fell. By the sounds of the gunshots, he figured it would be Ada and Leon. Three of the men fell while the others hid behind the cars.

Something was going on.

He spun around at the sound of a scream behind him. Just in time to feel a blade sink into his chest. His eyes slit through the darkness like a cat's, and he could see the three men inside their room. One was standing in front of him, and the other two were trying to restraint Ashley, who was putting up a fight. There was a loud crack as one of them smacked her across the face and landed her on the ground.

He grabbed the man in front of him by the neck and threw him back, taking out another guy. The third guy lunged at him. Tearing the knife from his chest, he landed the blade into the man's throat as he came near. He twisted the metal, ripping his throat wide open before tearing it out. He helped Ashley up, just as the other two men regained their footing. He threw the knife, and managed a clear hit to the second man's chest. Hitting directly over his heart. The remaining soldier was about to pull out his weapon, just before Ashley managed to kick it out of his hand. She managed a one-two hit to his face and stomach, before kneeing him hard in the groin. She retrieved his weapon just as he hit the ground and blew his head wide open in a single, up-close shot.

"You okay?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"A little hysterical, but I'll be fine," she nodded. "Let's just, get out of this room."

* * *

"Any idea of how they know about us?" Regan asked, as the two traveled through the shadows.

"They could possibly been tracking the S.T.A.R.S. team the moment they got onto the plane," Billy answered, stopping still as a car circled around the building at the sound of gunshots. He continued on as soon as it was out of sight. "Watching them the entire time, and guessing where their next destination point would be. If they figured it was this motel, then more likely they slaughtered off the clerk and any guest here, to make it more available to their needs. It would explain the full car lot out back, but an empty parking area."

Regan nodded and followed after him. She had been studying him for awhile now, ever since Brad and Krauser took off to help the others. She had heard the stories about him. A fugitive. A dangerous convict. A murderer. But, from what she had observed, none of that seemed true. His tattoo read: Mother's Love, in black cursive. He was brutal-looking. Tall, maybe five-foot-nine, definitely muscular. He was more legs than body though. From her observation though, she saw no threat from him. He seemed pretty trusting. His eyes weren't dangerous at all, in fact, he looked more innocent with the Smokey-blue colors. After all, Krauser was brutal-looking, but he use to take Lucy to the park and push her on the swing. After seeing that, she couldn't see Krauser in any other 'dangerous' way. And this guy, he just didn't seem like the kind to turn around and stab people in the back.

They froze as flames leaped out of a room window. She winced at the intensity of the heat. No one could make it out of the one alive. She hoped no one was in there at the time.

"Looks like they've been here," Billy commented, as the two hid behind a nearby pillar. He peered around the corner, spotting the two cars out front. The soldiers seemed pre-occupied with something else. If they were careful, they might be able to sneak past without being seen. "Come on, we'll have to be careful at this point. If we can make it to that corner over there, we can circle around to the other side of the building."

"And from there we can access the other rooms and make some kind of plan?" Regan asked, carefully watching the soldiers out front.

"That's about it," he nodded, waiting for the perfect time when the soldiers stepped out of view. "Come on." the two dashed past the hissing flames, and slid around the corner. Just as they made the turn, gunshots exploded along their path, and took out a chunk of the wall. "Shit, they spotted us."

"Come on, we can hide in one of these rooms and wait for them to pass by," Regan spoke, taking the lead now as she circled around the next corner. There was a crack as the butt of a gun slammed hard into her temple. She collapsed like a ton of bricks to the cold ground. She groaned and put her hand to the bloody wound, feeling warm liquid ooze between her fingers. She looked up just in time to see Billy drop-kick the guy over the railing. The man went flying and landed with a hard crack on top of a pile of debris.

"You okay?" Billy asked, helping her to her feet. She wavered some, and put her hand to the nearby wall for balance.

"I'm fine, just give me a few minutes," she nodded. "Where did he come from?"

"This motel is like their playground," he commented. "They can come from anywhere."

* * *

Chris managed to find a way back inside the motel without being detected by the soldiers. They seemed to crawl all over the place. Like cockroaches. He checked both his sides, before moving on down the hallway. His gun raised in case of anything. He pushed into a hallway marked 'Staff Only'. He froze at the sound of several voices, and kept his gun targeted ahead of him. As he drew closer to the voices, they slowly became familiar.

"Joseph? Forest?" he whispered, hearing the voices cease.

"Chris?" Forest called back, as the three slowly met up. "Hey man, about time we saw your ugly face around here."  
"Hilarious, what are you two doing in here?" Chris asked. "And Joseph, why are you half-naked?"

"I was swimming in the pool," Joseph answered. "But when those gunshots came, this was the only place I could think of, and Forest was here too, so we've been in here for awhile now."

"Well, the situation hasn't gotten better," Chris replied. "But there's no time to dwell on that. Right now, we have to get rid of those soldiers and get out of here." he turned sharply at the sound of footsteps coming around the corner. He drew his weapon till two figures came around the corner. He held his status for several seconds, before letting his weapon drop. "Barry. Enrico."

"Where have you guys been?" Forest asked.

"Around," Barry answered. "You know the ventilation systems take you to just about any part of this building."

"Any part?" Chris questioned. "So, that means the soldiers have an unlimited access to this building. Inside and out."

"Which means they can get inside any room," Forest followed.

"Not only that, but there's also a tunnel of secret passageways that are hidden inside every room," Enrico spoke, the first time in days. "The soldiers can easily slip in without even alerting the residents inside."

"And ambush from there," Joseph nodded.

"Exactly," Barry replied.

"Man, these guys keep getting smarter and smarter," Chris remarked, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Nah, you kids are just getting easier and easier to kill," Enrico commented, as he turned to leave. "Someone could kill you with a cordless phone."


	12. Darkness

**A/N: Don't worry, it's not a dream. I really did update. You can pinch yourself, but it might hurt, so I don't recommend it. I haven't updated since like...November 20, 2007. Long time. But, I had some other projects I managed to finish just in time. Little late, but hope everyone had a good holiday and break. I know I did. I haven't typed in so long, feels like I'm out of it. Tell me if I am.**

Jill sighed and leaned her head back against the bed behind her. She couldn't count the minutes or hours long they had been in here. Seemed pointless. The same car had driven by at least four times. The least the Umbrella soldiers could do is come charging in, give them a fight, a scuffle here or there, and then be defeated. But just sitting here was boring enough. "Reminded me why we're just sitting here waiting for our asses to get numb?"

"Because we're pretty much screwed right now," Brad answered, standing on one side of the front window, with Krauser on the other side. "They've got tunnel runners headed this way, not to mention soldiers infiltrating the two rooms next to us. As well to add, they have two moving vehicles searching around the place for any signs of movement. Without numbers or firearms on our side, there really isn't much here to our own advantage."

"Not to mention that they've got us pinned," Krauser spoke. "And I'm not talking about our current situation. There's a few number of people like you, the ones who survived and are still basically human. They're using you guys against us. While we can take heavy amounts of damage before flinching. One hit could kill you. They're taking that small number of you and holding it against us. One wrong move we make and all of you may end up dead. Now, don't think that I actually care about any of you, but I sure as hell don't want to see Regan get hurt."

"You make me feel so protected," Jill replied sarcastically, before standing up. "I think, as members of S.T.A.R.S., we need to go out and raise some hell. I don't think S.T.A.R.S. was ever confide to one area to just sit around in. And look around you, Umbrella's watching. They've got cameras everywhere." with that, she pulled the plug of a nearby lamp and threw the piece of furniture across the room. It landed in shards of glass on the ground, with the lamp shade clinging desperately to a shattered bulb. Inside the hollow carcass of the lamp, was a black, cordless device. She strolled over and picked it up. Turning to the others to show off her little discovery. "See, look at this. A recorder. They have this entire place bugged." she gave a laugh before dropping it back to the ground. Crushing it beneath her foot. "Come on Umbrella! Show me something impressive. You've grown so weak this past years. Where's your spirit gone? Huh? Let's see it. You have failed yourself." she called out to the empty darkness around her. "And I know you can hear me. Hiding somewhere nearby. Don't think I haven't figure some of this out. If this is all you got, then so be it. I'll have to laugh at your weak excuse for a threat."

"Jill, what are you doing?" Rebecca asked.

"It's called taunting, something women are especially good at," Jill smiled, before walking over to the door. Throwing it open as she walked out into the night air. Watching as headlights appeared around the next corner, as one of the vehicles came by. "Come on...," she whispered. "Catch me if you can." with that, she took off down the wall of doors. The vehicle in hot pursuit.

"Is that bitch crazy?" Krauser growled, as he watched the car take off after her.

"It's Jill," Rebecca reminded. "If Claire can outrun a helicopter, sure as hell Jill can outrun a car."

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Edward asked, pulling himself free from the firey debri that was once their hotel room. Last he remembered, Kevin was going out to do something and he was ready to go down for the night. Something broke through the front window and exploded. Blowing their room outward. Kevin went out the front door, and he went into the room behind them. Which would explain why he was once pinned under a chair and a couch.

Oh, must've been a grenade. Not that hard to guess though.

It was at that point he noticed that his entire body was pretty much on fire. He tried to pat out the flames to no extent. They only grew stronger and lit up more to the new night air.

"I got it," someone called, before a sudden wave of cold shuddered its way through his body. The flames going down in a white cloud that surrounded him. It was several moments before the cloud stopped circulating around him. The thick layer of a white substance covered his skin where the flames were laid at rest.

He shook his head and brushed to substance off. His flesh was scorched, but it would heal in a matter of hours. "Thanks man."

"No problem," Steve nodded, tossing the extinguisher off to the side. "That's the first time I've ever used one on something that was actually on fire. Normally we just spray cars in parking lots with them and run before the owners come out."

"Times have changed," Edward commented. "We use to steal them from motels and spray people when they were coming out of stores at night. Then, when they couldn't see through the cloud, we hit them with water. Best times of my life."

"Sounds like it," Steve replied.

"Now then, since we have one problem settled, fill me in on the rest," Edward spoke. "I've been out of it for awhile."

"Umbrella's behind this, as we all are surprised at," Steve answered, sarcastically at first. "They've got the motel tapped, wired and videoed. There's really nothing that doesn't get caught by their eye. They've got two runner vehicles roaming around the perimeter of the building, and soldiers infiltrating inside. There was a stand off earlier, but it seems like Jill and them put it down. I can't tell you where they are now, but they've inside somewhere."

"Alright, the lights are off to lower the chance of movement capture," Edward nodded, almost as if talking more to himself than Steve. "Everyone's inside to avoid the patrols and inside they'll just have to deal with the darkness, as well as the soldiers. As long as they keep that up, we may be able to wipe out everyone else. Umbrella will definitely have a head quarter somewhere around. If we find it, and wipe it out, we may be able to knock out their control. I see where they're going at here. Come on, I got a plan." with that, he took off.

"I thought you said you were out of it," Steve muttered, before running after him.

* * *

Carlos checked his wound in the mirror. It didn't look bad, and really wasn't much more than a paper cut. Still pretty close though. He turned back to where Murphy was keeping an eye out for any other soldiers by the window. Anyone could tell now he was on full alert. His eyes were sharp, and his body tense. He was completely ignoring his Gameboy too. Surprise there. Shrugging his wound off, he walked over and took his Assault Rifle from the table. "Come on, nothing to do here but sit around."

"Umbrellas outside," Murphy nodded. "A lot of them. Most of them are inside though, in the walls and under the floorboards. It would be a lot safer to go out than stay in."

"Thanks, but I kind of figured that much already," Carlos replied, as he slowly opened the front door. Looking both ways before stepping out. "You coming Mur'?"

"Right behind you," he answered, as the two stepped out. "What do we do now?"

"We resort back to our old training," Carlos answered. "Kill whoever gets in our way."

* * *

Ada leaned against the door behind her as she paused a moment to catch her breath. She looked over to Leon beside her, who was beginning a light layer of sweat. "So, what else is there for us to do? We've pretty much covered the whole 'Run like Maniacs' part."

"We resort to their levels," Leon spoke, before taking her hand. "Follow me." he made his way slowly across the dark room. Bumping occasionally into several objects, before finding his way into the dirt-stained bathroom. "I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but I did as we were room hopping back there." he walked over to the shower and pulled back the curtain.

"Eww...gross," Ada cringed, sighting the lime, rust and dirt stains that made a wallpaper up and around the shower area. The shower head was broken and hanging by several cords. There was a large hole around the head, where it looked like rats had been chewing through the plaster. She watched as he placed one foot against the rusting floor, quickly grabbed his arm as he did so. "Don't tell me you're going to step in there."

"You're being really feminine right now," he commented, as a joke. "Now, just watch." he reached up at the low ceiling. Touching several of the ceiling tiles before finding a loose one. "There we go." he pushed it up before off to the side. "It's like a secret room or passage of some sort. They're in every room."

"Perverts," Ada muttered as she crossed her arms. "So, what are you planning on doing? Going up and see what's around?"

"No," he answered, before grabbing hold of the edges and pulling himself up into the small opening. "We're coming up here and see what's around." he turned back and offered his hand to her. She sighed, before taking it. Letting him help her into the small room.

"Roomy," she commented, looking around. Definitely enough room to stand up and move around. There were a few boxes sitting around, but she doubted anything interesting were in them. Walking around, she examined several markings on the wall. Yeah, definitely rats and looked like a squirrel or so. Dust was pretty much three layers over everything. Like paint or something. She looked up and noticed the ceiling of spider webs all over the place. Cringing at the sight of a Black Widow spider making her way down the wall. Disgusting. She paused for a moment as she noticed a slight displacement in the ceiling. "Hey Leon..." she called, watching as he stood up from examining some odd stains on the floor. "Come over here."

"What is it?" he asked, clearing the room to get to her. He looked up to where she was pointing. "What's that? Another door?"

"Looks like it," she nodded, before reaching up to push it open. Carefully setting it off to the side as quietly as she could before pulling herself up just enough to look around. "Looks like another room."

"They got a maze of tunnels around here?" Leon wondered.

She shrugged, before pulling herself fully into the room. Surprise, another bathroom. Man, these people really were perverts. She stepped to the side as Leon came next. "It's dark." she commented, noting the lack of lighting. "Think someone's already been here?"

"No..., I think they're still here," Leon whispered, catching the sound of voices in the next room. Carefully clinging to his weapon, he moved around to the door and carefully peered out. Not much to see in the dark, but there were definitely two outlines of figures inside. He pulled back and turned to her. "Yeah, they're in here too." he reached for a grenade on his belt, and started to pull it out.

"Please tell me that's a Flash Grenade and you're not stupid enough to blow this whole place to bits," she whispered, holding her own weapon beside him.

"Let's hope I did grab the wrong one," he replied, pulling the pin, holding it for several minutes before tossing it. He waited for the bright flash to come, before rushing in. Firing off three rounds. Each one sounded like they made a direct hit. He heard someone groan before return fire came back at him. He ducked and rolled to the other side of the room and got to one knee. There wasn't much he could see himself, but at least they were on the same level now. Ada stepped out and pulled off four bullets, before falling back as a table went flying by her. The table shattered into splinters and toothpicks right beside her.

Getting up from his position, he raced into the room and pulled the trigger twice, before coming into close contact with one of the figures. No point in firing now. He ducked down as the figure swung out at him. Coming back up, he landed a solid blow to the figure's face. But, the person barely seemed to flinch, and instead unleashed a one-two to his stomach and face. Knocking him back. Ada threw herself into the battle and did a fan kick to the figure. Knocking them back. She barely landed on her feet, before the same move was repeated on her. She tumbled on the ground right on top of him.

Growling, the two got up and lunged out at the two figures. He slammed his shoulder into the larger figure's chest, and crushed him into a wall. Ada jumped and grabbed hold of the ceiling fan, smashing her heels into the smaller figure's shoulders. There was a yelp as the figure fell back and collided with a table. The sound of the yelp send a sudden message through his mind.

"Ashley!" he called.

"Ashley?" Ada repeated, as she landed back on the ground.

"Leon?" he heard a voice question. He stepped to the side and searched the wall for a light switch. Flipping it on when he found it. Illuminating the room with a bright light. Everyone flinched at the sudden brightness, before rubbing their eyes at the burn. He shook his head and looked around. Ada was standing just underneath the fan, where she landed. Sure enough, Ashley was picking herself up from the ruins of a second table. And Luis was standing a few feet away rubbing a sore spot on his chest. "Well...this is awkward."

"Smooth one," Luis commented.

"What the hell? You fan-kicked me!" Ada shouted.

"Yeah well, you attacked first," Ashley returned as she dusted the wood chips from her hair and clothing. "Those Flash grenades really hurt too."

"Well, we're suppose to be fighting Umbrella, and we're beating the crap out of each other instead," Leon sighed, running his hand through his hair.


	13. Collision

**A/N: Holy Cow, I've updated twice now. I'm so proud. Here I thought I was out of it, and it's all just kind of flowing out of me. Anyways, I'm hoping I'll be able to get this Vacancy thing over quick and get on to the actually story here. I've held this part out waayy too long.**

"Think this will really work?" Steve asked, peering through the darkness at the sound of a nearing engine.

"No, but what's not to risk," Edward answered as he took a deep breath. "George Washington took a risk when he crossed the Delaware."

* * *

Jill laughed to herself as the car began to follow after her. "Come on, let me see what you really got," she muttered, as the headlights began to catch up with her. She could hear the tires squealing against the gravel and the engine growling closer. She slid around the nearby corner and froze at the sight of headlights rushing at her. She watched as the two cars slid around the corner and ignored her. She heard several tires squeal and crashing as well. Crashes and screams. She shrugged with a smile. "Gotta love you boys." she laughed, before running up a nearby set of stairs.

Chris pushed open the door in front of him with a squeal. Yeah, just as he thought. The Maintenance hallway lead straight to the second floor. He stepped into the open and stumbled slightly as Forest pushed him aside.

"See, I told you that it would lead us up here," Forest commented, scratching the back of his head.

"No you didn't," Chris objected. "You were too busy checking your phone to see if anyone had called you and talking something about watching T.V. last week."

He shrugged. "It all meant the same thing."

"Wow, the second floor, amazing," Joseph sighed sarcastically. "What's to do up here?"

"We can eliminate the soldiers from up here," Barry replied, as he and Enrico were the last ones to walk through the door. "It'll keep us out of range and at a difficult position to shoot at. We can get better aiming and accurate shots in all at once."

"He thinks these things through," Chris commented. "So, he's probably right. Let's set up at different areas and shoot at whoever we see. Grab a place, and take a weapon."

"Lookin' like someone beat us to it," Forest spoke, at the sound of several different tire squeals and crashing. He looked over the side at the vehicle collisions and watched as several people came rushing out of rooms. Several were their own, and several were Umbrellas. He pulled his handgun loose and raced by the railing. Taking potshots at several Umbrella soldiers. Hitting them straight between the eyes.

* * *

Steve revved the engine and tore across the gravel. The motorcycle's headlights flashed on like a light bulb and illuminated the path in front of him. Jumping around the corner, he meet the bright conflicting headlights of the Umbrella vehicle. Smiling, he increased speed and held tight to the baseball bat in one hand. Jerking the motorcycle to one side of the Umbrella Vehicle and smashing in the driver window, he watched as the driver freaked and threw off to the side.

Right into their trap.

Edward tore around the corner in a Station Wagon and smashed right into the vehicle. He jumped out of the way as Edward drove the Umbrella car back and straight into another room. Breaking down the concrete wall and support beams. As well as bringing down the balcony above onto the broken vehicles. He slid around a tree and watched as several more soldiers ran out to see the commotion. Right into his own trap. Kicking in the engine, he roared off once more. Jumping onto the concrete pathways and smashing the bat into an Umbrella's soldier's head. He heard the sound of his skull breaking wide open from the force and his neck snapping completely around.

The next two soldiers had their brains splattered across the concrete wall and their bodies left with tire burns over the still warm flesh. He heard shots behind him and looked up as another soldier fell with blood pouring from between his eyes. Nice shooting.

He turned the motorcycle around and watched as more soldiers fell with bullets lodged into their brains. He started to take off once more but stopped as his phone began to ring. Pulling it loose from his pocket, he flipped it open. "Yeah?"

"Hey baby, what are you up to?" Claire's voice asked.

He smiled at the sweet, melody her voice set in his mind. "Nothing right now baby, just sitting on this god-awful plane ride."

"It hasn't landed yet?" she questioned.

"No, you know how airlines are," he replied. "Delays here and layovers there. It's a never ending schedule of mishaps. Don't worry though, I'm sure we'll get there soon enough."

"I hope so," she commented. "You know if I were there, the plane ride wouldn't seem so boring."

"Baby, there's never a boring moment around you," he smiled. "How's everyone doing back home?"

"Fine, Lisa should be getting back from her date soon enough, Sherry just defeated 'mOsEs' on Halo, Moria and Poly are playing with Kelly, and Lucy's asleep. Kathy seems pretty out of it too, you know how worried she can get and..., well without Renny here, there's no one to stop her."

"We'll come back with Renny, you just keep telling her that," Steve replied, before looking up more soldiers appeared on the second floor. "Listen babe, looks like the plane's landing, how about I call you when we get settled into some hotel or something?"

"Yeah, alright," Claire nodded. "I love you."

"Love you too sweetheart," he returned before the two of them hung up. No point in worrying her over this. He had a feeling if she wasn't in the action, she was afraid of it. Revving up the engine once more, he took off like a bullet.

* * *

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...," Edward muttered to himself the entire time the two cars were sliding across the gravel. He braced himself for the collision as the two cars tore into a hotel room. Two support beams broke and the balcony above crumbled downward. He watched for the debris to stop falling and quickly stepped out of his car. Looking at the blood-stained windshield of the Umbrella car, before taking off outside. His plan did work, with some altercations. And looked like Steve's was coming along as well. Now, he just needed to think of an escape route.

He turned to retreat maybe to the gas station just a few yards away. He started but stopped as he noticed movement in the darkness. It looked like...fire really. But, fire didn't just get up and walk. Oh God...

Running over to the figure getting up, he watched as they patted away several flames before leaving the rest to remain. "Kevin?"

"Who said that?" the figure spoke, turning around a few times before spotting him. "Oh, it's just you Edward. You know, pitch dark outside with a bad eye isn't really my kind of environment. Not to mention getting blown through a door on the second floor isn't that appealing either."

"I don't doubt you, been there," Edward nodded. "But come on, let's let Steve and them handle the guys here."

The two took off to the gas station not to far away. Running between the gas pumps before arriving at the gated doors, which were easily bent and thrown off to the side. Pushing the door open, they walked into the dust filled darkness. There was a counter to their left, with a cash register and all of that, some lottery tickets laid abandoned on the counter. Several of the aisles were covered with fallen objects and papers. Looked like a ghost town inside.

"Spooky," Kevin commented, as the remaining flames on his arms and shoulders began to die down. Just blood. He looked up at the door that lead into the garage; it was left slightly ajar. Curious, he walked over to it. Seeing it worth investigating. His hand just barely touched the door to push it open before he looked up as Edward called him over to see something. He gave the room one glance before walking over to where Edward was standing with a slip of paper in his hand. "What's that?"

"I don't know, looks like plans of some kind," Edward answered, as he examined the writing. "One thing's for certain though. Umbrella's had this planned for some time now. They've been expecting us for a while now. But how did they figure us out?" he looked up in thought.

"Maybe they got a hold of our own plans..," Kevin started, before jumping as a hand landed on his shoulder. He spun around and reached for his handgun, only to remember he left it in their car. His heart had practically jumped into his throat, before he let out a startled breath the recognition of the figure behind him. Tall, almost as tall as Edward, and just as big too. "Kenneth..., what the hell?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you," Kenneth replied with a slight chuckle. "I kind of thought you heard me coming by."

"Where've you been?" Edward asked.

"I was out taking a walk when this all started," Kenneth answered. "I was just walking by the garage when several of the soldiers jumped out and began their mad shooting. Must've been out of their minds with shooting so close to the gas tanks. Anyways, I would've gone back to help but I had my hands filled trying to get rid of those guys." he made a gesture back to the door leading back to the garage. "You won't believe how easy it is to kill some with a tire iron."

"You could kill anyone with anything these days," Edward nodded.

* * *

Rebecca ran outside as soon as Jill and the Umbrella vehicle disappeared. She watched as her comrade disappeared around the corner, before a motorcycle came roaring out. Suffering a blow from a bat, the Umbrella driver jumped and another car came around the corner and took it out. She recognized Edward in the station wagon as the two cars slid by and took out a corner of the hotel. She looked back as Richard placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's get out of here while we have the chance," Richard spoke, as the two took off. If they could make it back to their room, then he could grab his Assault Shotgun, and take care of some business. Rebecca nodded and kept up with him as they raced down almost to the end of the doors. He stopped as they came to their room, reaching for the doorknob before Rebecca kicked it open. Breaking the lock and one of the hinges. He jumped back at the action. "Damn..."

"Stupid doors," she muttered, before stepping in. Grabbing her handgun off the nearby table, she checked the clip before grabbing two extras from her bag. She turned and watched as Richard cocked his shotgun before grabbing extra shells as well.

"Come on babe, it's time to give 'em hell," he spoke, before the two raced outside. He watched as Steve roared by and took out two nearby soldiers. How that kid always managed to find a bike wherever he went was something unknown to man. He watched as Rebecca took off several shots and landed bullets to chests and necks. He looked up as Carlos and Murphy came out and fired off a rain of bullet on the remaining soldiers, turning their bodies into riddled remains. Krauser and Brad wiped several of the larger soldiers before everyone stopped at the graveyard of bodies in front of them.

"Looks like the party's upstairs," Krauser commented, looking up at the gunshots above them.

**A/N: Sorry about that, I so forgot about Kenneth this entire time.**


	14. Under Pressure

**A/N: Alright, a third time! Well, I've accomplished my weekend goal, now time for some sleep.**

Jill looked around at the large area of the second floor, before taking off to her right. Rushing by several rooms before stopping at the destruction of an explosion in front of her. Flames leaped out of what was left of the wall and windows. Yeah, definitely Umbrella's idea. She took a nearby iron pipe and backtracked to a small opening between two rooms where a drink and snack machine resided. Checking both open sides before turning to the right once more. From the gunshots heard earlier, she could take a guess that Umbrella was up here now, as well as the others. She froze at the sound of running footsteps and ducked down into the shadows. Watching as two figures came around the nearby corner. Darkness was against her, and she couldn't make out the exact details. One definitely looked female though.

Since when did Umbrella hire female soldiers? Hell, she had to chuckle at the soft joke.

"This place is like a maze," one of the figures spoke. Definitely a woman. "And it's just a stupid motel out of nowhere."

"That's the point they're trying to make," the second figure replied, a deep voice of a man. "The darkness can make any place seem larger and more complex than it really is."

She had heard those voices somewhere before. And they were talking about Umbrella's attack, so they were definitely on her side. She stood up, but stayed in the shadows as she edged closer. Just to be cautious, no need to jump the gun. Coming closer, she defiantly took note of some familiar features. The blonde-haired woman with a dark-haired man. As the woman stood where she was, she inadvertently placed a hand over her left arm. Yeah, she'd noticed that move any day.

"Regan," she whispered, watching as the blonde looked up at the call and looked around for the source. She stepped out of her place in the shadows, before walking over to the two.

"Jill, thank God you're okay," Regan replied, placing a hand on Jill's shoulder. "We've been just about all over the place and haven't seen much more than a sign of anyone aside from Krauser and Brad earlier."

"Yeah, they helped us out not too long after," Jill nodded. "Listen, pretty much the only ones left are up here or some place hiding. There really isn't much to worry about, considering everyone else will be up here in seconds and ready to tear the place down." she paused a moment to catch her breath. "I swear though, after this, I am never stopping at another motel for any moment in my life."

"I don't blame you," Regan agreed with a shudder, before jumping as a door behind them was kicked open and three soldiers ran out. She drew her gun and placed a bullet right between the eyes of one soldier, watching as he fell just as soon as he appeared. Two cracks came from beside her as Billy took out the other two. She looked back to Jill. "Yeah, like you were saying, motel's suck."

* * *

The night sky welcomed them as the two stepped from the closing building behind them. Both of them laughing and giggling together arm in arm. No one else was outside aside from them, making their voices echo like a crowd in the dead silence.

"I had a good time," Lisa smiled, pulling her jacket closer against the cold wind.

"Me too, although all the motion and camera movements got a little out of control," Josh replied, rubbing his arms.

She gave a soft laugh, and pushed him. "You just have a weak stomach."

"I do not," he objected, and pushed her back. Causing the two to get into a pushing match, which no one seemed to be the obvious winning to. Instead, they laughed once more and held each other in a friendly-like hug.

Lisa felt herself blush as Josh looked deeply into her eyes, before breaking eye-contact. "Claire's bound to be here any minute now."

He looked as though he had snapped out of a trance. "Uh, yeah, same here. I mean, you know, my brother instead of Claire, because I don't really know who she is and all..." he cut himself off and rubbed the back of his head with a soft chuckle.

"Well, if it helps, I really did have a great time," Lisa smiled. "I can't recall the last time I've had so much fun."

"Me either," he agreed, before looking up as a pair of headlights made their way across the large parking lot. "Well, I guess that's your ride coming this way now."

She glanced over her shoulder and recognized the 'oh-so-hated' minivan. She shook her head and looked back at him. "Yeah, that's Claire in her most favorite vehicle." she replied sarcastically. "Anyways...I guess I'll see you at school Monday."

"Yeah, guess so," he nodded, as another car began to make its way from the other side of the parking lot.

She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, before leaning up and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "See you around," she waved, before heading off to the minivan that had just pulled to a stop. She stopped long enough at the door to see him wave back before climbing inside.

"Hey, is that your boyfriend?" Claire asked, leaning across the steering wheel to get a better look.

"He's not my boyfriend," Lisa objected.

"He's cute, you know how to pick 'em," Claire continued, as she pulled out from the drop-off area before taking off across the parking lot. "You guys would look cute together if you went out..., but that's just me. And what do I know, I'm married and pregnant at my age."

Lisa sighed and laughed as she shook her head. "Claire...just be quiet."

* * *

Chris watched as more and more soldiers poured from the rooms in front of them. Forest and Joseph taking them out just as quick as they came. Barry and Enrico blew heads off in matters of tissue and skull fragments. He himself managed a few shots between the eyes before the large group was reduced to bodies.

"How many more of these guys are there?" Joseph asked, as he reloaded his last clip into a handgun. "I mean, seriously, there's gotta be at least, twenty-thirty bodies around here."

"And more are coming," Forest spoke, watching as another Umbrella truck pulled out of nowhere.

"This is fucking insane," Joseph muttered. "Can't even get a decent night's sleep around here."

"When you get on Umbrella's last nerves like this, there's no peace in the world for you," Chris remarked, before jumping over the side railing. Falling weightlessly for several feet, before landing roughly on his feet. Just as the truck began to unload its soldiers. Each one now heavily loaded with shotguns and rifles. Bad idea... The doors behind him were kicked open as Carlos, Murphy, Rebecca and Richard jumped out. Each one taking his side with their weapons drawn. "Just in time." he commented.

"Can never be late for action," Richard replied, looking up as just about everyone on the second floor took to a post for shooting. "They don't have a chance now."

"I hardly believe they ever did," Murphy said, reloading his gun once more. Popping in a new clip. "Let's give them a final showdown." Upon his final remark, a rain of bullets began to shed from each side. Each person giving it their final energy. Blowing away everything in between and in their way. Bullets hit cars, gravel, dirt, trees, chimes, flesh, muscle, bone, rocks, concrete, walls, legs, arms, heads, everything. Blowing away everything till clips ran dry and the smoke settled in the silence.

"Anyone hurt?" Chris called, rubbing a spot where several bullets gazed him.

"A few nicks and gazes," someone replied from the second floor.

Rebecca gave a heavy sigh, and brushed away the sweat from her brow, before reloading her gun and placing it back into its holster. "So, how do we know there aren't more of them waiting somewhere out there for us?"

"We don't, which is why now would be a good time to run like hell and get away from here," Richard answered, placing a hand on her lower back.

There was a small click as the intercom system came on above them. "Uh, for the owner of a blue Honda, you left your lights on."

"Kevin?" Forest questioned, as he tossed away his old clip.

"Yeah, we managed to hack into the intercom system," he answered. "Anyways, now would be a good time to move your cars and get as far away from the motel as possible."

"Why?" Rebecca asked.

"Just getting rid of it," he replied, before cutting the intercom off.

"Uh, let's just do as he says," Jill said, as everyone ran down to the first floor. Gathering their small things from their rooms, before loading them back into their car. She sighed and leaned against the door of their car, before walking over to where Chris was talking to Richard about something. She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around before kissing him deeply. Pulling away before he even had the chance to notice what had happened. "I just want to let you know, if we ever get divorced, this is coming up in court," she replied.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he spoke. "Never stopping at motels ever again."

"That's for sure," she muttered, before turning back to their car. "Alright people, let's round up and head out." she called, as everyone finished loading and began to start up the engines.

"Anyone see Kevin, Edward, or Kenneth around?" Richard asked from the driver window.

"No..., not that I recall," Chris replied, as he pulled out of the parking lot with the others already waiting on the road. He looked back at the sound of a loud horn blaring, and watched as the head of Tractor Trailer came speeding around from the garage and headed towards the motel. "Oh sweet Jesus..." he started, watching as the partial vehicle took out the entire middle-section of the motel. Including the second story and most of the support beams. Collapsing the entire second floor into the ground. Leaving the whole building completely destroyed in a matter of seconds.

"What the hell!" Forest shouted from his car, before looking down as his cellphone rang. He picked it up after reading Caller ID. "What the hell did you guys do?"

"No time for questions, just get out of here," Edward spoke from the other end, as another car came racing around the garage and jumped onto the road. "Let's get before someone else comes down the road looking for a motel to stay in for the night."

"You are insane," Forest replied, as their entire group took off like bullets.

"Don't blame me, it was Kenneth's idea," Edward commented.

* * *

Kathy paced nervously back and forth in the kitchen, stopping for a few moments to check on the girls. Sherry was still playing Halo, what that girl found fun in that game was still unknown. Moria and Poly were coloring in some color books, while Kelly swatted at the crayons and chased them across the floor. Lucy was asleep, and had been for about an hour now. Lisa was still out at the movies, but Claire left just a few minutes ago to pick her up.

She sighed, and walked over to fix herself a pot of coffee. Tonight would be a long night. The first ones always were. Then came the seconds and the thirds, and eventually the loss of time. What would they matter keeping track of them anyways? They were just days...days of how long they had been gone. Tonight would be the first night of many nights where she would sleep in that large bed alone. Where she would wake up to herself and tend to the house by herself. Even with the company and the kids...the house just wasn't the same without him.

She had tried resisting for the last few hours, but the feeling was uncontrollable now. She picked up the kitchen phone and dialed in a quick number. Leaning against the counter as the phone began to ring. It rang several times before someone finally picked it up. "Barry?" she spoke first. "I'm sorry to bother you at such a time, but I just wanted to check in and see if you were okay."

"Everything's fine over here," he answered. "Don't worry. Our plane just landed and we're heading over to a nearby hotel in town."

"That's good," she nodded, twisting her fingers in the phone cord. "I was just...well, you know how I can overreact."

"Honey, don't worry about these things, everything's going to be alright," he assured. "You just worry about whatever the kids are getting into. There's no reason to worry about me."

She nodded again, although she wasn't sure if she could believe the last part. "Alright, I'll try not to. I'll let you go then, you sound like you need the rest."

"Thanks Honey, you take care of yourself," he replied.

"I love you," she spoke.

"I love you too," he returned.

She gave a soft sigh as she hung up and placed the phone back on its charger. At least he was still okay. That much was reassuring. She looked up at the sound of the front door opening and watched as Claire came into the kitchen.

"Is that coffee?" she asked.

"Yeah, just brewed it," Kathy nodded, as she took the pot from the machine.

"Man, I could really use a cup about now," she sighed as she took a seat in the nearby chair. "I probably shouldn't, but this will be my last cup, I swear."

Kathy gave a soft laugh as she poured two cups. "I tell ya, I had to give up coffee when I was pregnant with Moria, had to be the hardest thing in my life to do." she placed the pot back and put the two cups on the table before grabbing the sugar and cream. Taking her own seat as she mixed the cream into her coffee. "But after awhile, you get use to it and it'll become a habit."

"I hope so," Claire spoke, as she mixed in both sugar and cream. She took a deep sip before putting the cup down and letting out a sigh of relief. "I tell ya, today had to be the longest day of my life. Now I know how you feel."  
"Add a husband and two kids to that equation," Kathy smiled, as she started at her own drinking. "I just got finished talking to Barry. Said they just got off the plane and were looking for a hotel in town to spend the night at."

"Really? I was talking to Steve a little over an hour ago, said they were still on the plane," Claire nodded.

They were silent for several moments before Kathy broke it. "Think they're lying?"

"Oh yeah," Claire answered. "Definitely."


	15. Sleepless

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, and once more, sorry for the long wait**.

There was some kind of ringing in his head. It kept growing louder and louder, like drums setting off a beat in a chorus of thumps and crashes. It took him a moment, before realizing the ringing was from his phone. Groaning, Chris pushed himself off the steering wheel and fumbled around his vest for his phone. Pulling it just as the ringing quit. He shook his head and tossed his phone into the backseat, without even realizing it. Hearing it make solid contact with a head, and someone clearly voicing their opinion on it.

"Ah, dude man, what the hell?" Richard cursed, as he placed his hand blindly to the sore spot on his forehead.

"Richard? When the hell did you get back there?" Chris asked, looking through the rearview mirror at him and Rebecca curled up in the back seat.

"You don't remember?" Richard spoke, before shaking his head. "We were racing like hell to get away from that motel, and we stopped for just a few minutes about a mile away. We gave our car to Edward, Kevin and Kenneth, since the car they had was pretty much stolen. So then, we roomed up with you guys and drove for about three hours, and I don't really know what happened after that. All I know is, I fell asleep about halfway there."

"Why are you guys talking so loud?" Jill growled as she slowly stirred from her sleep. She stretched and rubbed her eyes before glancing out the side mirror, immediately stopping what she was doing. "Uh Chris, where's the rest of the team?"

"What do you mean? They're right-" Chris started as he looked out the side mirror, only to see a long, deserted road behind them. He opened his door and stepped out. Feeling the cool, morning breeze on his bare arms. True as it was, the street behind them was deserted, with only trees to be seen for miles. "What the hell?" he whispered.

"What's going on?" Rebecca muttered, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Hold that thought," Jill answered, as she pulled free her own phone and dialed in a number, waiting for it to ring several times before getting an answer. "Forest, where the hell are you guys?!"

"The question, my lady, is where the hell are you?" he returned.

"On the same goddamn road we've been following," she answered, crossing her arms as she looked over to where Chris was leaning against the open door.

"Well, so are we," Forest replied, before giving a heavy sigh. "Well, as much as I can tell, we all fell asleep in our cars."

"Well, no shit Sherlock," Jill muttered bitterly.

"It could also give us an answer here," he countered. "Maybe we all just got too tired to drive and stopped our cars."

"Without telling anyone?" Jill asked.

"Well, if I was tired as hell, you would be the last person I would want to talk to," Forest commented.

Jill let out a scoff, and ruffled her hair before retaining her calmness once more. "Alright, well we were the lead car, and we didn't notice anyone to stop, so we must've been the last one. Which means, who knows how far behind you guys are."

"Just wait where you are, and we'll come find you," Forest replied as an answer, before hanging.

Jill sighed and closed her phone, placing it back into her jacket. She leaned across the driver's seat and tugged at Chris' shirt to get his attention, nearly scaring the hell out of him. "It's just me," she assured, brushing away a stray bang. "I was just talking to Forest, he said we all probably stopped and got separated. We'll just wait here for awhile and let them come find us." she watched as Chris sighed and climbed back inside.

"Well, at least we had the smarts to turn the engine off," he commented, as he closed the door. Closing his eyes for a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Man, I haven't felt like hell this much since...well probably since the Mansion."

"I feel ya there," Rebecca nodded, as she popped her back. She looked outside across the deserted road. "Hey, uh, I'm gonna go outside for awhile and stretch my legs." she pushed the door open and slipped outside, watching as Richard fell back asleep. She walked around to the back of the car and pulled out her phone. Dialing a quick number before holding it to her ear. It didn't ring twice before someone answered. "Is everything okay?" she immediately asked.

There was a slight pause in answer. "Why wouldn't it be?"

She let out a long sigh. "I don't know, I've just been...on my nerves end right now. I mean, after that motel incident, I just don't understand how Umbrella would've figured out so soon. We just barely arrived and they're already trying to kill us."

"Rebecca, Umbrella's everywhere and no where all at once. Considering they just barely managed to get back on their feet, they're taking every step necessary to keep you guys away. I wouldn't be surprised if they have something else in store for you."

She nodded to herself and looked up as a lone Raven flew overhead. "Where are you?"

"A few miles ahead of you. Just entering the nearby town."

"You didn't sleep at all?" she asked.

"When your life is almost like a living nightmare, you won't believe how much you can get by with little sleep."

"I guess so," she replied, smiling some to herself. Looking up as a faint pair of headlights appeared. "Hey, we're just about to get moving again, wait for us in town."

"Alright right, will do."

"And Billy...," she started, just before he hung up. "I wanna let you know, that I still trust you. No matter what anyone else says."

"Here I was beginning to doubt you," he commented, giving a soft chuckle. "I'll wait by the local supermarket, it's about the only building you can't miss here."

"See you there," she smiled, before hanging up. Climbing back into her seat as the vehicle behind them became clearer. She shifted Richard over some, causing him to groan in protest. She rubbed his head, and kissed his forehead. "Wake up sleepyhead."

"I'm awake," he muttered, before playfully falling on her. "And living in a dream."

"Hey, you two cut it off back there," Jill teased, hearing the couple in the back burst out into giggles and laughter. "We don't want any babies in the backseat."

"That would be awkward and weird," Chris commented, watching as a car pulled up next to him. He rolled down his window and watched as the other car did the same. "Carlos, Murphy, you seen the others?"

"Aside from Joseph and Forest in the back, not really," Carlos answered.

Chris sighed and shook his head. "Well, we'll just have to wait a little while longer and see if we can't find everyone else."

"Well, they couldn't have fallen back too far," Carlos shrugged, as he cut the engine for a moment. "Anyone know if there's a town nearby?"

"There's one just a few miles away," Rebecca answered quickly.

"How do you know?" Jill asked, looking back at her.

"Uh..., Billy told me," she replied, after a series of failed attempts to lie.

"Well, then we'll just have to meet him there," Jill commented, as she turned back in her seat. "Might be a little late though, hope he doesn't mind waiting."

"Oh believe me, he has the patience of a saint," Rebecca said.

* * *

Wesker sat back in his chair, watching as the computer screens in front of him cut off one by one. So, they escaped his plan once more. Right as he assumed they would. S.T.A.R.S. was beginning to prove itself a hassle. Then again, he created it, why wouldn't they try to destroy their creator. It was all in their blood now. It was their wrath and rage that drove them on. Onward, right into his plan. Everything was going smoothly, accordingly to everything.

"So, let me get this straight...," he looked over at the blonde-haired scientist who leaned against the computer's control panel just a foot or so away. His arms crossed over his usual, white lab coat while his long bangs hung some into his deep, sleepless-blue eyes. "You set a plan of failures to lead to your success?"

He gave a soft chuckle. "Birkin, you're usually not one to doubt me." he stood from his seat and watched the final screen stay lit. It was an overview scene of a great forest, a small road located in the middle of it. Two cars were visible at the moment. "In this way, we'll lead S.T.A.R.S. straight to our very doorsteps. Planting traps to follow them wherever they go, practically a trail leading them here. To us. With each success they have, it'll simply build their enthusiasm and courage. But, with each attack, it'll slowly tear them apart from the inside. It'll all come to them pointing fingers at one another and they'll be too much in distress to even acknowledge our approach. And with that, failure will lead to our very victory."

"You've been thinking about this," Birkin commented,

"It's been in my head ever since the first steps that echoed in that mansion," Wesker replied, turning as the door behind them opened. Watching as one of the soldiers stepped in. A mid-size man who made up in muscle. His skin was a dark-tan, hinting Hispanic blood. Dark hair smoothed back, with a small moustache over his upper lip. He wore a short-sleeve white shirt that enhanced his chest, rather than the usual vest and combat wear of the other soldiers around.

"Sir, the S.T.A.R.S. team is entering stage two of combat. Do you wish for us to release Unit 3?" he asked.

"Go ahead, but tell them to wait till direct combat," Wesker answered, watching as the man nodded and left. He turned back to Birkin, who only merely blinked his eyes at him.

"You really believe the S.T.A.R.S. team will fall for this?" he questioned.

"They're determined to take down Umbrella, but even more so to take me down as well," Wesker answered. "And the only way for them to do that, is to follow my little trail."

"What are you boys up to this time?" the two looked over as the door opened and two female figures walked in. Melissa smiled and strolled her way over to Wesker, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Playing on your little computer once more?"

"Why don't you two get a room," Annette spoke, as she took a place next to Birkin, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I doubt there's a room that could contain them," Birkin remarked, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

Wesker gave a light chuckle as Melissa stuck her tongue out at them. "Well now, let's not ruin our evening with such nonsense chatter, we have a party to get to, don't we." with that, he slip an arm around Melissa's waist and headed to the door. Birkin shook his head and followed Annette as she tugged at his arm.


	16. Dreamless

**A/N: My stupid computer messed up and deleted two of the chapters I haven't put up yet. So, now I have to work on retyping those and then get back to the story.**

Carlos sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, watching as the dark car in front of them sped up slightly. He really didn't feel like staying that close to them, and didn't think it was safe either. He could barely keep his eyes open even now. He caught himself almost swerving off the road a few times. The only thing that seemed to be keeping him awake was the tune projected from Murphy's Gameboy. The theme to his little Pokémon game. The Most. Annoying. Tune. Ever. He had to stop himself from just reaching over, taking his Gameboy and tossing it out the window before running it over a few times with the car.

He jumped slightly as his cell phone went off and searched around in his jacket to find it. Shaking his head, he answered. "Yeah, Carlos here."

"Carlos, about time you answered," a voice with a heavy Russian accent spoke on the other line.

It took a moment for him to hear past the accent before coming up with a name. "Mikhail? Where the hell are you?!"

"Took you this long to notice I was gone," he laughed.

Carlos sighed once more and leaned back in his seat. "Captain, it's been a long day for me. Can we cut the crap and get to the point here? Where are you?"

"Alright, you already sound half dead on the phone," Mikhail replied. "Anyways, I'm heading in the opposite direction from your location. I decided to take a slight detour around the town and head on my own for awhile. I'll meet back up with you soon."

He nodded and was about to make a reply, before hearing the other line hang up. He shook his head and tossed his phone into the nearby cup holder. Grand. Things normally always went wrong when Mikhail wasn't around. Leaving just him and Murphy to handle the problem. And everybody knew how Murphy was.

"Who was that?" Murphy asked, never taking his eyes off his game.

"That was Mikhail," he answered. "He's heading in the opposite direction from us. Said he'll meet up with us soon."

"Wait..., you mean he wasn't with us the entire time?" Murphy questioned, looking over at him.

Carlos shook his head. "No Murphy, he wasn't We would've known."

"Awkward," he commented, before giving a shrug. "We are going to meet up again, right?"

"That's what he said," Carlos nodded.

"Good, because things always go bad without him," Murphy spoke.

* * *

Chris stretched slightly as they came around a curve, before resuming driving once more. Man, driving was hell when you could barely keep your eyes open. He felt like he was just going to pass out in the seat right there. Not to mention all his muscles were stiff and occasionally ached. Rebecca and Richard had fallen asleep in the back, all curled together. Jill was just barely able to keep her eyes open, before slowly drifting into the temptation.

The plan was still to meet up at the supermarket place. They just decided to head on into town and have everyone meet up in the parking lot. Luckily, they managed to find Carlos and their car with Murphy, Forest and Joseph, just before driving off. But, other than them, there was no one else to be seen for miles. Which could be good and bad all at once.

"Finally," he muttered as the city sign came into view at a break in the forest. The dense wall of trees broke open and revealed all sorts of stores and buildings everywhere. Cars racing back and forth from road to road. He glanced at several road signs before noticing a large billboard showing a large arrow in the direction of the town's supermarket. Well, one thing was for sure. No one could miss it. Every corner either had a sign or billboard. Sighing, he maneuvered the twisting streets, before pulling into the large parking lot. Taking a spot in a more isolated area. He cut the engine and leaned back in his seat for a minute. His head was killing him. Tylenol was definitely going to be on their shopping list. He reached over and tapped Jill on the shoulder. "Come on Jill, we're here."

She groaned and pushed his hand away, falling still for a moment before reluctantly waking. "I'm up, I'm up...," she muttered, blinking her eyes several times before stretching. She turned in her seat to wake the two in the back as Chris got out of the car, just as the second one pulled up.

"Hey look, a zombie," Forest joked, as he stepped out of the back seat.

"Funny," Chris replied in a mutter. "Let's just get what we need and get out of here."

"If it helps, I made a short list," Rebecca spoke, as she climbed out. Searching through her pockets before pulling out a small folded piece of paper. "They're just small things that we don't have in supply with us. Most of the wounds aren't that bad, so we don't need much." unfolding it, she looked the list over once more. "It shouldn't take that long to find all of these."

Jill shrugged, before snatching the paper from her. Looking over it before shaking her head. "Rebecca, I can't even pronounce half of these. Are you sure we can't just get Tylenol and Band-Aids?"

"We want to make sure to prevent infections too," Rebecca replied.

"Yeah, but you said yourself that no one had wounds that were life-threatening," Jill reminded.

Rebecca sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Look Jill, I don't see you wearing a Medic badge. So it looks like I'm the only one certified, which means you have to listen to me."

"Excuse me?" Jill asked, taking a step towards her. "You wanna repeat that?"

"She said nothing Jill," Chris intercepted, pulling her away. "She gets cranky when she doesn't get any sleep."

"I second that," Forest yawned, stretching for a moment, before watching as another car pulled up beside them. "Hey, don't they know that you're always suppose to leave a space between you and an unknown car?"

"That's not an unknown car," Carlos sighed, rubbing his temples, before watching as Edward stepped out from the driver's side.

"Hey, sorry if we're late," he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Still would've liked if they parked over there," Forest muttered, half as a joke.

"Can't have everything your way, Southern boy," Kenneth replied.

"Well, I figured if you can run a tractor trailer into a motel, then I can have someone park some place else," Forest smiled, shaking his head before the two slapped hands.

"Anyways, at least half of us are here," Chris spoke, running a hand through his hair. "We're just mainly going to stall around and wait to regroup with the others. Rebecca said she needed to pick up some things, so we'll do some shopping while we're here as well."

"I need some new batteries," Murphy commented, as he turned off his game and slipped his Gameboy back into his jacket.

"I guess the only thing left to say is try not to draw attention to yourselves," Chris shrugged, before glancing down at his watch. "We've lost a lot of time already, so let's try to hurry up and get back on the road soon."

Everyone nodded before the group started across the parking lot. Trying to look more alive than their true nature called for. Rebecca stretched, before rubbing her stiff shoulder. Sleeping in the back seat was not a good idea. She felt cramped and stiff all over. Like any sudden movement would surely break her right in half. She glanced back as everyone sort of slugged along. If Umbrella couldn't kill them with bullets and claws, they would surely run them into pure exhaustion. She noticed Kevin in the back and slowed down some to walk with him. Noticing a pair of sunglasses hiding his eyes. "Hey Kevin, what's with the glasses?"

"These? I don't wear them offer, just in public," he spoke, pulling them off for a moment. Revealing the deep scar that carved out his left eye. Leaving three long scars across his face. "Just trying not to draw that much attention to myself."

She nodded, and watched as he slipped them back on. "I wouldn't recognize you with sunglasses on."

"That's what I'm aiming for," he laughed as they entered the store.

* * *

"Anything interesting happen?" Ada asked, as she slowly pulled herself from her sleep. As much as she would've loved to continue her nap, they really didn't have much time to reside in their tired needs. She popped several bones before sighing in relief. Stiffness was overpowering, but a little relief was greatly appreciated.

"Not really," Leon answered, as he took a sharp turn, slightly pushing everyone to the right. He looked up and checked the rearview mirror, noticing Luis and Ashley still asleep in the back. At first they had been at their separate ends of the seat, but were now cuddled together in the middle. He looked back to the road and sighed. "I tell ya, I never expected this to happen."

Ada shrugged. "Well, I don't really blame us. I mean, at least a six hour flight, an abandoned motel, an attack from Umbrella, and no rest at midnight. I'm surprised we're all not dead yet."

"Good point," Leon nodded, glancing to the side rearview mirror. Nothing but trees and bushes around them. How interesting. He half expected something to come out and toss their car off the road. He searched through his pocket for a moment before pulling out his cellphone. So far, from what he knew, Chris' group had meet up with Carlos' and they were headed towards the town. Hopefully they made it, or this forest just went on forever. Flipping it open, he hit speed dial and waited.

"Yeah?" a rough voice on the other side answered, catching him off guard.

"Regan, if that's you, you really need to get some sleep," he replied.

"God, you are such a twit," Krauser spoke.

"I called Regan though," Leon said.

"Yeah, this is her phone. She's asleep. I didn't want your chattering nonsense to wake her," Krauser answered once more.

Leon sighed and shook his head. "Well, I guess that means I have to talk to you. Do you know what's your location?"

"Well, by this Navigation system thing, we're about half a mile from your car," he replied.

"That's not too bad," Leon shrugged. "Think you can catch up?"

"Yeah, don't worry about," Krauser muttered. "I just have to find a way off this hiker road."

"Hiker road?" Leon questioned.

"Regan was driving last, and I think she ran off the road, into a ditch and somehow we made our way onto this off road in the middle of nowhere," he spoke.

"Damn. And neither of you felt that?" Leon asked.

"Well, you got Regan, who sleeps like a rock," he started.

"Say no more."

* * *

"You know, if this situation wasn't so tight, this might actually a funny incident," Barry commented, one hand on the wheel and the other resting out the window. From the car's Navigation system, they were only two or three miles from the city. Which wasn't as bad as they originally thought. Some peaceful riding would be nice in contrast to the crazy, wild episodes of people on city streets. He sighed and wondered what Kathy was doing. He hated to leave her alone for long periods of time, knowing how she hated it just as much. But, he didn't want her to subjected to what they were going through now. Although, that didn't mean they would

have a peaceful evening either. After last time, when Umbrella personally attacked them at their own doorstep, it was a little uneasy leaving her there. But, Claire was there, and that was a little better. Claire was always a mean one for violence. No one really messed with the Redfield sister. And there was Moria and Poly too.

God, when this was over and finally gone, he was going to work on being a better husband and father.

"I think it's pretty funny enough as it is," Brad replied, typing away on his laptop in the back.

"It's set us back on time," Barry spoke.

"A few hours, but it's not much," Brad responded. "If Umbrella keeps coming at us in numbers like that, they'll eventually wear their own forces down. Having done with people, they'll have to resort to creatures and any sort of monsters they have prepared. But, as well, they'll try to keep a low-key since the government's after them. So, once they wear their forces down, they'll wait for us to come to them."

"And...," Barry started.

"If their forces are gone, there's nothing stopping us from getting to their main base," he finished.


	17. Brewing

**A/N: Author note is currently unavailable.**

Rebecca wrinkled her nose as she looked from her list to the shelves. Does no one carry any Cephalexin, or Doxycycline?" she sighed and scratched the back of her head. "Can't find anything in this place. Don't people know how they're suppose to keep these things labeled and in order. I mean, come on, it's not hard." she groaned and grabbed another bottle. "Well, this is close enough." rotating it several times in her fingers before placing it in her basket. She looked down as her cell phone rang. Pulling it free from her belt before opening it. "Yeah, Chambers here?"

"You'll find the Cephalexin in the back row,"

The voice puzzled her, but she moved to where she could reach into the back without knocking any over. Sure enough, she pulled out a small bottle of Cephalexin. Shaking her head, she smiled to herself before placing it in her basket. "Wanna tell me how you knew that?"

"It was a guess," came the answer.

She shook her head again and hung up. "Then at least tell me how long you've been standing there." she turned and spotted him leaning against a wall just a few feet away.

"You're good," Billy commented, as he walked over to her.

"Yeah well, after constant prank calls by Forest and the rest of them, you learn to know where they are," she shrugged. "So, any word on the plan?"

* * *

Jill sighed to herself as she browsed the home improvements area. This supermarket pretty much had everything. It was a grocery store, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot all gathered in on. The only thing it didn't have was a coffee shop, which wouldn't be too bad about now. She stopped and scanned the shelving of paints. All sorts of different colors. She didn't even know there were that many. Slowly strolling along, she looked over the multiple colors before noticing a soft lavender color that caught her eyes. It was nice. Soft and a gentle color that calmed her some.

"What are you looking at babe?" Chris asked, as he came over, resting a hand on her hip.

"Just looking at some paint," she shrugged, intertwining her fingers with his. "I think we should paint our house."

"Why? What's wrong with the colors we have now?" Chris questioned.

She gave yet another shrug. "They're bland. I mean, you can only do so much with white. I like this lavender color, we should use it for the bedroom."

"Uh, I really don't think I would feel comfortable with a lavender bedroom," he commented.

"And why is that?" Jill asked. "Not manly enough for you?"

"Basically," he nodded.

She gave a laugh, before hugging him. "We've barely even gotten to day two and everything already feels like hell on Earth."

"I second that," he replied, rubbing her back. "Umbrella's just trying to run us dead before we get to them."

"By the time we reach them, we'll be zombies," she joked, as they two pulled away. She sighed and shook her head. "You gotta promise me though, before we leave this town, that we really need to get some coffee."

"You don't have to tell me twice," he nodded, taking her by the hand. "Come on, let's see if we can't find everyone else and see what they're up to aside from trouble."

* * *

Joseph yawned and stretched out his stiff bones before leaning back against the car. He had offered while everyone else was inside browsing the store, to go across the street and refill the cars. So far, he was still working on their own. The pump was taking long, so it gave him some time to close his eyes and rest his mind. Every so often though, he would watch the cars across the street. Watching as they stopped and went at each change of light. Turning in all directions and occasionally giving the finger here or there. But, there was one thing that caught his attention. There was the same black van constantly pulling up and then doing a u-turn back, only to show up again ten minutes later. Something was weird about that...but he couldn't quite figure it out.

The sound of his phone ringing caught him off guard and he jumped at the first few rings. Laughing at his own jumpiness, he pulled it free and answered. "What do you want?"

"That's no way to answer a phone," Forest replied from the other side.

"Well, then I guess I should hang up and try again," he threatened, hearing his friend laugh on the other line.

"Well, then that's just being rude," the Bravo team member laughed. "Anyways, just called to see if anything interesting was happenin' across the street."

He shrugged to himself. "No, not really. Well. you know aside from this van that keeps pulling up, only to turn back the way he came and show up again ten minutes later."

"Sounds awkward," Forest muttered. "Same thing's happening here though. I keep running into this same group of people, who will instantly strike a conversation the moment I walk by. Then, they'll all just burst into laughing, but it's that kind of laughing where you know it's fake even though you keep doubting yourself, even when you're right. Anyways, they do that, and keep their hands in their pockets the entire time. I mean, who laughs with their hands in their pockets?"

"I got a bad feeling about that...," Joseph started.

"Yeah, same here. But, I kind of want to follow in and see what they're doing," Forest spoke. "I'll let you go, considering how phones can cause fires and...political corruption and whatnot."

Joseph made a motion to reply, before hearing the dead tone on the other end. Sighing, he shook his head and hung up. Watching as the same vehicle passed by. For a moment, he thought he saw someone staring back at him, which sent a cold chill up his spine.

* * *

Edward sighed and crossed his arms behind his head as he turned into another aisle. They were just burning time here. Which, seemed definitely looked like the place to do it. Someone could get lost in this place. Twice he was certain if they wondered too far from the front of the store, they wouldn't be seen again. Which would be hard to say. Considering the two of them were over six feet and built strong. Sighing again, he dropped his arms and didn't bother to even browse the shelves this time. "This is like, what, our fifteenth lap?"

"Somewhere around there," Kenneth shrugged, as they walked to the frozen food department. He glanced over his shoulder at the dark-cloaked man that stepped out of the aisle next to them and proceeded to follow them at some yards behind. The same guy had been following them ever since they entered the place. He had put it off as a coincidence, but now..., now it was a stalker of some kind. He turned into the next aisle, catching the man in the corner of his eye once more. Getting closer now. "Have you noticed the guy following us the entire time?"

"Yep," Edward answered.

"Just making sure," he nodded, as they both stopped and tried to look like they were browsing the aisle. He picked up some kind of canned tomatoes, not even bothering to recognize the name. He watched as the man continued to draw closer.

"Hey, did you see that game last night?" Edward asked, across from him.

"No, how was it?" he replied.

Edward watched as the light hit the reflective surface of a knife that slowly made its way from the man's jacket. "It was killer."

* * *

Kevin stretched and gave a light sigh as he let his shoulders go limp for awhile. He really didn't have any reason to be in here aside from the chance to get out and stretch his legs. As well, every other muscle in his body. After being blown through a door by a live grenade, and kept on fire for at least an hour, he really didn't feel his best. At least his wounds had healed. Most of them anyways, there were still some scorch marks on the back of his arms. Better scorch marks that burned bone, right?

He walked up and down several aisles, just for the walk. Scanning the shelves and noticing the labels and shipping companies. Really there was no reason behind it, just to keep his sight from blurring every now and then. The lack of rest was beginning to get to him now. Even as an inhuman 'monster', they still liked their rest. He paused for a moment and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out and running a hand through his hair. A light headache was beginning to pound behind his eyes. All his senses felt like they were running on cocaine. Sending a pins and needles feeling all over his fingertips and back. Just a reaction from a lack of sleep and his nervous system running into overdrive.

The slightest touch on his shoulder felt like a hammer driving into the bone. But, he turned around as calmly and looked at the source of the touch. A woman with red curls and just a few inches shorter than him stood with one hand on her chest.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you could get that can of soup on the bottom shelf for me," she spoke, giving a soft smile.

He looked down at the shelf she indicated. "Sure, no problem." He knelt down and grabbed a can before standing back up. Handing it to her, before noticing the large bump of her stomach sticking out. She was pregnant. How did he miss that one?

"Yeah, six months," she smiled, placing the can into her buggy, then her hand on her stomach. "Kind of big for my time, but everyone says it might be twins."

"Really?" he asked. "Either twins, or one really, big baby."

"I'd be happy with either one," she laughed, rubbing her stomach by habit. "But, happier when it finally comes out."

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" he questioned.

She shook her head, causing some of her curls to bounce. "No, I'd like to keep it a surprise. I'm thinking it's a boy, due to my size. But I'd love it if it was a girl, not saying I wouldn't if it was a boy either. And if it's twins, it might be both."

"Might be...," he repeated quietly, noticing a shadowy figure pass by the end of the aisle. Dressing completely in black and whispering into a communicator in his ear. The figure was only in sight for a few seconds, but his eye held the image for several moments.

Something was going on.

**A/N: Oh noes, what will happen?**


	18. Bomb

**A/N: Everyone's going to be so proud of me because I actually UPDATED for once! I know, it's been like...seven months or something since I last updated, and I apologized. There's really been no reason behind it, other than I got LAZY, which isn't really a good reason at all. But I'm sure other people have gotten caught in laziness too. So anyways, sorry if it's a little short, on the rushed side and lacking, but I figured I would need some time to get back into the swing of things. Still don't know how everything is going to end up just yet. **

Jill yawned before sitting back in the rocking chair that was set out in the home decorating section. She really needed to get off her feet and take a break, although it felt like she really hadn't done much. _Oh yeah, running through an Umbrella-infested motel with loud explosions, and gunshots, along with driving all night with no sleep is nothing_ she thought bitterly.

"Don't look so mean, you're making other people stare," Chris spoke, as he walked by.

"They can stare all they want to," Jill replied, giving a light smile before flipping away a bang. "They're probably just stunned by my sheer beauty."

"And you still keep your sense of humor," he laughed, before disappearing around an aisle.

She shrugged before leaning back in her chair. Giving into the few moments of silence, before her phone began to blare in her pocket. She cursed for a short while as she struggled to pull it loose before yanking it from her pants. "What?" she asked roughly.

"No need to bite my head off," came Rebecca's reply.

"Sorry, it's been a long day," Jill muttered, running a hand through her hair. "Did you find everything?"

"Yeah, and a few others," Rebecca spoke. "I think it's best if we left. Now."

Jill sat up slightly at the medic's change in tone. "Why? What's going on?"

"I don't know yet, but it's not safe here," she answered, her voice dropping a few octaves. "I think Umbrella's here."

"What?! But they were just back at that motel," Jill replied, a bit too loud as several nearby people turned to look at her. She just shot them back a nasty glare before getting up. "Now what's going on here?'

"I overheard something about a bomb...," Rebecca whispered.

* * *

Forest looked around the nearest corner as he watched the dark figure circle the meat department for the twenth time now. What was that guy up too? Surely someone must've noticed his strange behavior by now. Then again, they probably would've noticed him following the guy as well. Shaking his head, he ducked back as the man turned in his direction. "What is going on around here?" he muttered, before starting back down the aisle. Stopping suddenly as another black-claded figure showed up at the end of his aisle. There was a flash of light as the man drew a gun from his belt, and fired it off once it had risen to level.

Blood shot out from his right shoulder as the bullet exploded out the back in a mess of tissue and liquid. He hardly noticed though, and went straight for the guy. Busting an uppercut that could break a jaw before the man could fire off another bullet. He watched as the man collapsed to the ground with blood running from his mouth. Grabbing the man by his collar, he lifted him up before the man the chance to get away. Not even caring about who was watching them now.

"What the hell is going around here?" Forest growled, watching as the man smiled before pulling a small denonator from his pocket.

"For Umbrella!" a soft click came as the denonator activated.

A chorus of screams came as an explosion erupted from the meat department. Sharpnel and large debris pieces flying in all directions as people were thrown into aisle and blasted into the air. A mixture of blood and bodies littered the denotated area.

* * *

Jumping at the sudden ear-splitting explosion, Kevin looked up as smoke began to cloud above them. People were screaming and running in all directions. Some shouted something about a bomb and others said something about gunshots. _What the hell just happened!?_

"What's going on?!" Abigail asked, fear in her eyes as she instinctively placed a hand on her stomach. "Was that a bomb?!"

"Come on," Kevin ushered, taking her arm. "Get out of here." he was more interested in knowing what happened, but knew it would be better to get as many people out of danger as soon as possible. For a pregnant woman, she was fast and kept up with him the entire way. Reaching the end of the aisle, he was only alerted of the next explosion by her scream. The nearby 'Creative Arts' area exploded into rapid flames and debris. He pushed her out of the way and felt the flames eat away at the flesh of his left arm, while several small sharpnels embedded themselves into his neck and shoulder. Barely noticing the injures, he lead her through the maze of aisles and more explosions before arriving at the front doors. Turning to see the store collapse into flames, he was only reminded of the danger as Abigail tugged at his arm to follow her.

"Oh my God...," she whispered, watching as one wall of the store blew outward, leaving the parking lot in a mess of bricks before the roofing of it began to collapse inward. She held tight to his arm, as if to assure herself he was still there before burying her face into his chest. "Who could've done this?"

One name came to mind...

_Umbrella..._

* * *

"Christ!" Carlos shouted as the nearby Dairy section exploded into fire and milk, which would've been hilarious if several bodies had been blasted back as well. He watched as a corpse landed near him, with the entire front of it blown away.

"I know, look at these prices!" Murphy replied, examining several cases of battiers before looking up at the fire. "Whoa, when did that get there?"

"You moron," Carlos muttered, before grabbing his arm. "Come on!" the two tore down the aisle, escaping it just as it toppled over and began a domino effect across the store. He shook his head at the quickly spreading damage. How the hell did this get past them?

"Carlos! Murphy!" the two looked up as Forest quickly joined them.

"What the hell just happened?" Carlos asked.

"Bombs are going off all around the store," Forest answered.

"Well I can see that now," Murphy muttered, looking around at the failing store. He watched as one of the large shelving units swayed back and forth before slowly beginning to topple over invoking several screams from the aisle. Without much thinking, which was common for him, he took off down the wide-spread area. Pushing past retreating people, and over gathering wreckage pieces, before sliding beneath the falling unit. Grunting slightly as a large amount of pressure fell against his shoulders and lower back, before he managed to slid his feet into place and lift it back up. Just enough to keep it from crushing the two women underneath it. "I'm Murphy and I'll be your escort today," he smiled, watching as the woman slid out quickly. Moving out quickly, he watched as the unit hit the ground with a loud 'thud'. "Now if you'll just follow me, I'll be leading you to the nearest exit."

* * *

Edward watched as the black-clad figure lunged at Kenneth first. Luckily the darker man easily evaded his move and knocked him down and out with a single blow to the temple. Cracking his knuckles, Kenneth looked up at the faint sounds of an explosion on the other side of the building.

"The Hell?" he questioned.

"I don't know, but I think we've worn out our welcome," Edward replied, as the two ran from the aisle and out towards the screaming crowds rushing in every direction. "Come on, we need to get these people out of here."

"Umbrella is really beginning to push the line here," Kenneth growled, as the two quickly took control of the crowds and rushed them out of the nearest emergency exit. "I know they're after us, but they don't take much in for the people around, do they?"

"Buddy, Umbrella has been taking out all sorts of innocent people since the beginning," Edward spoke.

* * *

"Getting a little worried now," Leon spoke, as they left the forest roads and moved onto city streets. "We normally try to keep the teams together."

"Don't worry so much," Ada assured, watching as they began to evolve into the city life. "I'm sure they're fine."

Leon nodded and turned at the first street leading towards the rendezvous point. He toyed with the radio for awhile before looking up as the market came into place. Hitting the brakes suddenly at the sight of fire and smoke completely engulfing the building. "You were saying?"

**A/N: Figured it was time to update since everyone else was. And you know who you are!**


	19. EMT

**A/N: Kind of a short chapter, I got tired after awhile and couldn't concentrate anymore, so I just decided to put this much up. Not to mention I'm still working out a few kinks here or there in the story.**

"The hell?!" Joseph shouted, watching from across the street as the marketplace exploded into bricks and pieces. People around him screamed and rushed off to get help, while he just stood there staring at the mess. Shaking his head he was about to call Forest to ask, but decided against it at the last minute. Instead, he paid his price for the gas before driving over to the parking lot. Escaping one side of hysteria and entering another as people rushed by his car. Cutting the engine he looked around for the others. Spotting Forest as well as Carlos, even though Murphy was no where in sight. "What the hell happened here?!" watching as the two turned around.

"Umbrella, duh," Forest answered, as though he should've thought about it beforehand. "Seriously, who else do you think would blow up the mall?"

"Communists, I don't know!" Joseph muttered. "Where's Chris and Jill?"

"Who knows," he shrugged. "I'm hoping they got out though."

* * *

"What in the world...?" Barry started as their car pulled into the marketplace parking lot. He looked around at the mess of bricks, cars and people rushing about. Flames and smoke bleeding into the sky from the remains of the once, ever-so-popular building. He let out a low whistle and ran a hand through his hair, looking over as a blur of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances came screaming down the street and into the broken lot.

"I don't think we need to stay," Enrico commented, speaking for the first time in what seemed like days now.

"Let's not bring attention to ourselves here," Brad agreed.

Barry nodded and started to pull out of the lot. Watching as the police cars circled around the area and cops began to assist those who were panicking and the EMT ambulances were rushing about to help the wounded. Something about the situation got to him...and he didn't like it.

* * *

Jill looked away from the burning building just as police cars rushed up. Cops jumped out everywhere and began to gather the panicking, hysterical crowd, hoping to ease the situation and calm everyone's nerves. _Must be great to have a normal job like that..._ she thought to herself, unable to remember if S.T.A.R.S. ever had the chance to communicate with the public in a seemingly helpful way. Everytime they tried, they were called liars and reckless. And that was just them trying to warn the public of the upcoming zombie invasion.

A shudder went down her spine as a spark of anger went off in her mind. Whenever she thought about Raccoon City and all their useless attempts to warn the public, she remembered the way they were criticized by both the Police department and even the mayor himself. A small part of her was almost glad they all died, like everyone of them deserved. Hell she even wished the military shot and killed the mayor before he was able to cross the city limit. But, then she remembered the gut-wrenching feeling of having to hear those screams echoing throughout the city as well as watch countless citizens be devoured by the undead. She knew that until Umbrella was finally taken down, then she would never be able to forget the past.

"Excuse me, Miss?" she turned at the questioned, watching as a sandy-brown haired cop came jogging over to her. He looked young, a little younger than her actually... "Are you okay? Did you just come out of the building?"

She looked back at the burning flames, wondering how many people died. Then wondering by instinct how many would come back, even though it was a stupid thought. "I'm fine." she replied, ignoring the light stream of blood coming down her temple from the race to get out of the flaming death trap.

"We're going to need your report on what happened here," the man spoke.

"I..I have other things to do," she replied, waving off his comment. She went to move past him. "I'm sorry but there are other things I need to get done. Go get someone else's reports." she hated to sound rude but they really needed to get out of this place and get back on track to take down Umbrella. Her footsteps froze at the familiar sound of a gun clicking behind her.

"I said, you're going to have to stick around so we can get your report," the cop repeated, an icy tone froze over his voice.

Okay, she had been a little pushy and violent as a cop herself, but she never turned a gun on a citizen. She turned around to look at the man, noticing his stoic look and the sheer coldness that seemed to set in his eyes. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline." she spoke once more, not showing the least bit of fear in the way of a gun. Hell knew she had been in front of one too many times. "What are you going to do? Shoot me?"

"Of course not, Miss. Valentine, that would be against out standards," the man answered, giving a sly smile.

_How does he know my name?!_ she thought, watching as he only laughed at her look of confusion. It didn't last long and for seemingly no reason, the man collapsed to the ground. She looked up to see Chris behind him with the broken end of a 2x4.

"The cops are involved," was all he had to say.

* * *

"So..., what do we do now?" Murphy asked, joining up where Kenneth, Edward, and Kevin were standing around.

"I don't know..., we could probably help around..., then again we should really get back on track," Edward answered, running a hand through his hair before stretching. His heavy shoulders giving a loud pop in response. "Or wait for the others to get here and regroup to see what everyone else has to say." he looked up just in time to see Rebecca trotting over to them. "Rebecca, get any news from Chris or Jill? Anyone else for that matter?"

"Not much but I think we need to just get out of here," she spoke. "It's not safe here. If Umbrella's soldiers were inside, then more likely they'll be out here too."

"So, just evade the police here?" Murphy questioned. "Like Grand Theft Auto?"

"Uh, sure," Kenneth nodded.

"You guys go ahead and get a head start on that, I have to check on something real quick," Kevin replied, watching as the four of them nodded before walking off. He turned around and noticed how all the ambulances seemed to have gathered in on area to assist those just lightly injured. He wondered if Abigail would be somewhere over there. He had only met her twenty minutes ago, but it seemed like forever since he was around such human emotion. Not like he was some kind of monster incapable of expressing emotions, it was just so many things were going on and he just felt like seeing her one more time to make sure she was okay before heading off with the others. It wasn't that hard to find her. It seemed like she was the only one sitting in the back of ambulance with an ice pack on her head. A small burn probably, nothing too serious.

She looked up at his approach and smiled. "Real entertaining, huh?" she joked mildly.

"I've seen better," he replied, looking around at the other surrounding ambulances. All of them were empty...which was strange. "So, are you going to be okay here? Is there someone you can call? Husband? Friends? Relatives?'

She gave almost like a bitter laugh at the question. "Please, like my _husband_ would get anywhere near me." she just shook her head afterwards. "My sister's coming by to pick me up. I hope this mess clears up by then, she hates big gatherings."

"I can imagine," he nodded. "That's actually one reason my party's going to be heading out pretty soon. There's really no need for us to stay much longer; we have _other_ businesses to attend to."

Abigail shrugged in relations before running her hand over her stomach again. "You're not going to stay and wait for an EMT to look at that burn on your arm?" she watched as he turned his left arm to look at the blackened skin left from the flames. She physically winced at the horrible sight, noticing pieces of muscle just hanging down. Not to mention the sharpnel particles embedded in his neck.

"Nah, I'll look at it later," Kevin replied. "It's not as bad as some injures I've seen." referring to a lot as he spoke.

"Not bad? That's horrible," she spoke. "You make me feel bad for having this ice pack for a minor bump on my head."

"That's different," he noted, with a shake of his head. Hoping their conversation wouldn't get too out of place. He jumped slightly as his cellphone rang and was reluctant to answer it, but did so nevertheless. "Yeah, Kevin here."

"Dude, you have no boundaries on picking up the ladies, do you?" he mentally groaned at the sound of Forest on the other line.

"Yeah I'll be there soon," Kevin answered, before hanging up on the Southern man. "You'll have to excuse that, my _friend_ is a little short on nerves sometimes."

"I know how you feel," Abigail agreed.

"Well I should probably get going before they-" Kevin started before watching as an EMT suddenly appeared from the side of the ambulance.

"That looks like a nasty burn, I can treat it for you," the man spoke, dressed in a pair of light blue scrubs.

"Uh no, it's fine," Kevin replied.

"But it looks painful, I can fix it up real quick," the EMT pressed.

"I said I'm-" he started once more before a gun was quickly pulled to his face. There was a mix of a scream and a gunshot as a bullet tore right through the side of his neck. Quickly ignoring the blood, he grabbed the man's hand, snapped it back, before breaking his entire arm with a single twist. Knocking the gun away as soon as it dropped before kicking the man square between the shoulder-blades to knock him down. There was a sharp laugh as the man rolled to his back, his broken arm laying mangled by his side. "What the hell's so funny?" he asked.

"Umbrella didn't quite explain the challenge we were up against," the man laughed.

A shot of anger filled his veins at the sound and he drew his own gun to the man, never hesitating to pull the trigger. The body twitched momentarily before laying still with a faint trickle of blood running down from between his eyes.

"T-that guy shot you," Abigail stammered, breaking him from his trace. He had forgotten she was there already.

"It's not bad," he muttered, putting his gun away. The flesh was already beginning to re-grow over the wound. "But come on, it's not safe here any longer." then again, it never really was.


	20. Escape!

**A/N: I know, a lot of scene hoping and character switching, but I'm hoping this will be the last of it. I didn't mean to seem like I was rushing it, but it came out that way. Next chapter should be a little more solid and appropriate. I hope.**

"Anyone else get the feeling that something bad is going on around here?" Forest asked, watching as several police officers slowly began to approach them. He took hint of the careful moves and the glances they continued to pass at one another. Something was going on and he was beginning to hate it. He stepped forward to speak. "Sorry to ruin your parade here, but we got other things to do here and-" he froze as one of the officers drew a small container from his pocket and tossed it at his feet. The glass shattered rather easily and the chemicals inside reacted to form a small cloud. One whiff instantly burned his nostrils and he stepped back as an overwhelming feeling of nausea threatened him. "Not cool..." he gagged.

"I don't know what's going on with you people, but I know it has to be stopped," one of the officers spoke, pulling out another container. "After all, the criminals behind Raccoon City cannot be allowed to walk the streets alive."

"What?!" Carlos nearly shouted. "We're not behind Raccoon City.."

"That's what they all say," the third officer sneered, before firing off his weapon, hitting the Brazilian man in the chest, just off to the left. There was a second shot, although it didn't come from his gun. Instead the officer dropped to the ground with another's bullet in the back of his skull.

"It's time to get out!" Rebecca warned from a distance, ducking lightly as a bullet nearly grazed the back of her neck. She turned in time to see the shooter gunned down himself, and gave a small wave towards Billy, just a few feet away.

"Man, we cannot get a break anywhere," Forest groaned, shaking his head as he tried to overcome the substance from earlier as he quickly dispatched the remaining officers nearby. "Not even to shop!"

"Fuck this man," Carlos muttered, rubbing the sore area of his chest where the bullet had hit. Now glad that he decided to keep on his bullet-proof vest. He drew his handgun, feeling slightly vulnerable as the small weapon failed to fill his hands. He was use to his Assault Rifle by now. "Do we just run like mad towards the cars, or what?"

"I'm thinking of running like hell...," Forest started, before watching as as large truck came flying out from the highway and barreling across the parking lot. "But I think they just got reinforcements." true to those words, the truck skidding to a stop a few feet away and more men leaped out. These ones in more appropriate vests and larger weapons.

"Go!" the two men looked up as Jill and Chris went running by. Reloading their weapons as they did their best to outrun the men flying after them from behind.

"You know it's pretty bad when those two are running," Forest commented. "Let's go."

"Wait, do you know where Murphy went?" Carlos asked suddenly, looking around for his friend.

"Now that I think of it, where did Joseph go?" Forest pondered, before watching as Kenneth went running by. A large truck following just a few yards behind. "Oh God! We can't let Kenneth die! He's the only black guy we have!"

Carlos didn't have time to object, before watching as the Southern man went racing off to help his comrade. All the while he was wondering whether Forest's comment was really necessary and whether the fact of both of them now trying to out run a truck was even helping. He sighed and fired at several of the oncoming cars, hitting mainly around the tires to slow them down before taking off to reunite with the others.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Jill asked, as the two took sanction behind an abandoned police car. She reloaded her gun before peering out of the busted window to the other side of the parking lot. More and more police men were beginning to show up and even the EMT people were in on it. _Damn you Umbrella!_ she mentally cursed herself at the corporation's second attempt to get rid of them in at least a day's time. "They're getting more and more people now. I'm not sure if we'll be able to make it to our cars without getting hit at least four times." her last comment was hinted with bitterness.

"I'm thinking...," Chris muttered, watching the playing field fold out. Forest and Kenneth were evading a chasing truck. Murphy and Joseph were taking out any officers who got too close, not that the bullet wounds were proving much to them. They had gone in with a small group, and from the looks of it, the others were either still stuck in the forest, or had the smarts to stay away. "Alright, well, maybe if we hold them off just long enough to get out of here..." he looked up at a sudden engine roar and watched as blur of a vehicle went flying by. The sunroof opened with a large machinegun sticking out. A cloud of bullets rained out and littered the lot with empty shells.

"Who the hell?" Jill started, but felt Chris' grip on her arm before he pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, not enough time for questions," he replied, before starting to mad dash across the parking lot.

She had to adapt swiftly in order to keep up with his long gait. "Not so fast!" she called, before watching as another car pulled up quickly in front of them. She had to jerk Chris back to keep him from getting hit, but a quick sigh of relief came when she noticed the familiar driver in the front.

"You guys need a lift?" Edward asked, rolling down the windows.

"You're a miracle worker," Jill smiled as the couple grabbed hold of the sides. "Think you can drop us off at our car?"

"No problem," Edward nodded before taking off again. Speeding across the lot and taking out a few officers and Special forces men before skidding around to a stop at their cars. "You guys have the keys?"

"I'll hotwire!" Jill called, leaping off the side before the car even came to a complete stop. She opened the door to their earlier car before making quick work of the hotwiring. Looking up just as Chris started up Forest's car. "No time to dwell." she reminded.

"No need to mention," he nodded.

* * *

"What's happening?!" Abigail cried, holding tightly to his arm. He didn't blame her for being scared, he would be too if he was already technically dead and aware of what was happening. Then again, he wasn't pregnant either.

"Just stay close," Kevin advised, trying to figure out a perfect time to move. He had thought of using one of the Ambulances, but the thought of getting mistaken for the enemy here wasn't a good idea, as well he didn't want to run the risk of a sabotaged vehicle.

"Going somewhere?" a voice asked before a sharp click followed afterwards. Why did everyone have to sneak up from behind? There was a light yelp and he swung around just as Abigail was pulled from his arm. He stopped dead at the sight of the man with a gun pointed straight at her head.

"Don't do anything stupid," he growled. "Just let her go."

The man laughed, a badge pinned to his uniform read 'Thompson'. Just another ill-informed officer. "I'm not here to hurt her; I'm saving her from the likes of you. See what this pretty little face here doesn't know is that your team is the one that caused all of this trouble. And we're just here to clean up the mess. You probably thought it would be funny to blow up the supermarket, didn't you? To hurt all these innocent people, just like at Raccoon City. But we're here to stop this now."

"You're crazy!" Abigail shouted, trying to wrestle herself free from the man's grip.

"Oh really? Then why don't you explain why your friend here can't feel pain?" Thompson asked before firing off a bullet that struck Kevin in the left shoulder.

He reeled back slightly from the hit, and knew exactly what the man was doing. And he knew exactly how to fool his plans. Clinging to his injured shoulder in fake pain, he managed out a few 'pained' gasps and pulled off a slight pale look. Blood dripping between his fingers and dropping to the ground with an inaudible hiss of smoke as they hit the concrete.

"You bastard!" Abigail shouted once more, before slamming the heel of her foot against the officer's toes, causing his grip on her to loosen. She broke from his arm and turned around just long enough to place a well aimed kick to the man's groin. She dashed from his reach as he almost seemingly collapsed from the hit.

"Come on!" Kevin urged, throwing off his act as he took her arm and pulled her away from the scene. Trying to be as careful as he could with her fragile state. Luckily, it didn't have to last too long as another vehicle pulled up beside them. The passenger door flew open and he didn't hesitate to help Abigail into the front seat before swinging into the back. Barely closing the doors as the car took off once more.

"Hi, I'm Jill," the brunette introduced, as she gunned the engine across the lot.

"Um...hi," Abigail meekly returned.

"Any plans on what we're doing?" Kevin asked, taking a moment to feel the wound at his shoulder. Already it was beginning to close.

"Pick up service," Jill replied, eyeing two more their teammates. "By they way, it would be really convenient if you guys could duck down real quick." she didn't give an answer why before driving right into the heart of the shoot out. Ducking down herself as several bullets hit the car side before the doors opened and two more members joined them.

"Gotta love you Jill," Forest gasped, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Perfect timing," Kenneth nodded.

"Chris should be getting the others," Jill spoke as she began the chase to get out of the parking lot. Noticing Barry's and Leon's car sitting across the road. Thank God they managed to stay clear of the danger.

"Hey Kevin, is that your girlfriend?" Forest asked with a smile before offering his hand to Abigail. "Nice to meet you, I'm Forest."

"Kenneth," the black chemist nodded.

She took his hand and tried to smile back. "Abigail."

"She's a cutie," Forest muttered, nudging Kevin in the side.

* * *

Chris gritted his teeth as he tried to pinpoint the location of their other teammates. He saw Jill race to get out of the lot, several of the police cars chasing after her. He had to round up Rebecca, Richard, Carlos and Murphy, if he could find them. Apparently Edward had taken Joseph and gotten out already. Which was good, that meant they were safe now. He blared the horn before one of the large trucks rammed into the side of his own vehicle. Letting out a slur of curses, he hit the brakes and watched as the truck went speeding by. "Damnit Umbrella..., why can't you fuck off for once..." he muttered briefly, before spotting the small group. Gunning the engine, he sped over towards them and stopped in front to shield them from the on coming bullets. "Get in!" he shouted through the partly cracked window.

There was no need to repeat the command, as the four of them jumped inside.

"We haven't seen the last of them," Murphy muttered as they drove out of the lot. He looked back as several of the large trucks began the chase after them. "Oh...fuck."

"I got this," Chris smirked as he weaved in and out of traffic almost recklessly. Speeding through the 'Stop' signs and red lights. It was dangerous and he couldn't help but to feel slightly contradicting considering he was a law enforcer himself. Or was anyways. He really didn't know where they fit in now.

Rebecca sighed and practically collapsed in her seat as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her body ached from lack of sleep as well as several gaze marks from bullets who had been too close for comfort. She was surprise they even managed to get out as fast as they did with their sleep-deprived minds. Seemed like no matter what, their reflexes worked perfectly. Sighing softly to herself, she closed her eyes and tried not to think much on the matter anymore. As long as Chris could get them out of this mess, they were safe. _I hope Billy got out okay_ she thought, wondering where the ex-convict had gone off to. She was slightly reassured that he would eventually call her when things were safe again.

"Everyone alright?" Chris asked.

"You think they'll notice I kind of stole these batteries?" Murphy replied.

* * *

Claire sighed as she practically threw herself backwards on the large, leather couch in the living room. Tossing her shoes off before sliding down into the large, comfy cushions. Not that there was anything exactly 'tiring' that she did today, but it felt like all her energy had been drained doing almost nothing.

"Long day?" Kathy asked, passing the time by painting her nails. She sat back in one of the recliners and carefully eased a second layer of brown on.

"I don't know," Claire shrugged. "I guess."

"It always seems longer when they're not around," Kathy commented, twisting the top back on her nail polisher before sitting back in the chair. Careful not to touch anything else.

She nodded in silent agreement, ever since everyone left if felt like the days were going by in years. Not having Steve around was one thing, but Chris wasn't even there either. Neither were Jill, or Rebecca, or anyone else she messed around with. She was just stuck...here. Not that she felt entirely alone. Katy provided great company, and even Lisa and Sherry had their time. She was just use to everyone else. "Where do you think they are?"

"Probably at some restaurant getting breakfast or something," Kathy answered.


	21. Car Wash

**A/N: I've had this chapter for awhile now, but just haven't gotten around to putting it up. Still trying to work out a few holes in the storyline, so please bear with the boring parts right now.**

Rebecca sighed and rubbed her temples again before getting out of the backseat. They had managed to find a quick place to hide, behind a car wash of all places, and were currently trying to get things back together despite the extremely lack of rest going on. Walking around their bullet-riddled car, she strolled over to where Jill, Chris, Leon, and Barry were standing around. If they weren't happy about their current situation, it wasn't clearly plastered on their faces. Instead a look of weariness and barely-there consciousness laid waste to their expressions.

"So, does anyone know what just might've happened here?" Chris asked.

"Well, Umbrella for one," Jill started, counting it off on her fingers. "Umbrella for two, and basically Umbrella for everything!"

"I think they found a new hobby of blowing shit up," Leon muttered, rubbing the back of his sore neck.

"Like Raccoon City wasn't enough," Ada added as she came over to join the group. She crossed her arms and shook her head a few times. "I'm starting to get a little suspicious about this mission now. Why is it wherever we go, it's like they're following us?"

"It's Umbrella," Chris reminded. "They've been wanting us dead the moment they put the Mansion case on our desks."

"This one was planned almost thoroughly," Barry commented. "It seemed like they knew we would all meet up in the supermarket, which was just a chain reaction to what happened in the motel. They knew we would need supplies and they got there first. I don't know whether those bombs were placed before or after we arrived but they went off fairly quick and didn't leave much time for an escape."

"Apparently Umbrella doesn't know we've been running from explosions for years now," Jill remarked, almost sarcastically.

"Not to mention the sudden appearance of the police and paramedics, which would've been normal if they hadn't tried to suddenly kill us all," Chris replied, sighing slightly as he put a hand at his waist. "They got to them before we did...and made some kind of 'accusation' that we're really the ones behind Raccoon City."  
"They're trying to steer the public away from us," Rebecca noted, stepping into the group now. She had been listening beforehand and now found the strength despite her tiredness to speak. "Umbrella may have thought to end a few years back, but they still hold a grip over the public. Although now..., it's possible that they're not even going by the name Umbrella..., but something else."

"Like what?" Leon asked.

"Something that would appeal to the public," Rebecca shrugged, watching as the group just kind of died out after that. She shook her head and went back to the car, seeing as Richard didn't look like he had moved at all since she left. She climbed back in and shook his shoulders, smiling at how he weakly went to push her away. "Come on, you can't get sleep if I can't get sleep."

"Not cool," he muttered, before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her down with him. "There, now I can sleep."

* * *

"So...who are you people again?" Abigail asked, seated in the passenger seat, but this time the door was opened and she swung her legs outside.

"We're just traveling," Kevin answered, leaning up against the car beside her.

"For what?" she questioned.

"Paintball tournaments...," he lied quickly, when no other answer failed him. He glanced over to see her nod and look out across the busy street. Parked behind a Car Wash, was not one of the most obvious places they ever hid behind, but on short notice it did it's due. A small convience store was just across from the building; Edward had gone earlier to grab some water for the team.

"You seemed to have handled yourself pretty well back there," she commented.

"Well..., we're use to large groups of people running at us with guns," he nodded, wondering how much longer he could hold out on this lie.

"I know I was scared shitless," she chuckled lightly, touching the small scrap on her temple. "I could never do anything like that. Guns are not my biggest fan, and neither am I of them."

"It always depends on whether they're working with you or against you," he shrugged, before looking over at approaching footsteps. Each one like a thunder echoing in the back of his mind. He looked up as Edward walked over.

"Sorry it took so long, that lady behind the counter seemed more interested in watching the news report about the burning supermarket than to attend to the cash register," Edward sighed. "I was going to tell her that I was there just a few moments ago and there was nothing interesting at all about it, but decided not to and just wait." he shook his head while Abigail giggled lightly at the story. "Anyways, I finally got some water, which took about two minutes to pick out and twenty minutes to check out."

"Does this story have an end?" Kevin asked, watching as the giant just shook his head.

"Unfortunately no," he answered. "I didn't mention the other people in the store, as well as an annoying crying kid whose mother was too busy watching the T.V. to even notice him." he gave another great sigh before just shrugging it off. "But, I got the water, so that's all that matters." he tossed a bottle to the pilot, and handed on to Abigail. "Now I'll probably go off and rant about it to someone else."  
"I'm sure Jill will enjoy the story," Kevin called after him, as he tossed the bottle between his hands for a while.

"You guys seem like a lovely bunch," Abigail commented, as she twisted the top off before taking a light sip.

"You haven't seen anything yet," he replied with a shake of his head. There was Forest's Southern accent, as well as Murphy and Carlos' constant antics, not to mention Jill's temper and Joseph's fear of dogs.

She watched as a dark-green Explorer pulled into the small convience store. "Well, there's my sister. She's probably a little mad that I keep changing locations."

"Just be careful," he warned, helping her down from the passenger seat. "And don't stop for anyone or anything."

"Can you walk me over there?" she asked, noticing the large space separating them from her sister's car. "I..., I'm a little embarrassed to say, but I'm a little afraid to go by myself. With everything that's happened today..."

"Why not," he answered, letting her hold onto his arm once again as he lead her from behind the Car Wash to the small parking lot of the convience store. Although he was sure Umbrella had had its fill of attacking for now, that didn't mean they weren't just going to up and cut out again. The more he thought on it, the more he almost seemed paranoid about it. Shaking his head, he just tossed away the thoughts and focused on leading her across the lot. If her sister had seen them coming, she didn't do much on it. He stopped a few feet from the car. "Think you can make it by yourself from here?"

"Yeah," she laughed, letting go. "I'm sorry to have been a bother for you. I know it's not easy taking care of a pregnant woman."

"I've handled things more difficult," he commented.

"Thanks," she smiled, before pulling him into a light hug. Which caught him off-guard, as well as her rounded stomach pressing into his own. He barely had time to return the gesture before she pulled back. Offering one more smile as she turned and headed towards the awaiting car. He moved back a few feet and waited till the car left the parking lot before heading back to the team.

"Hey, did you your girlfriend just leave?" Forest asked, sitting on the hood of one of their cars.

"Yeah, her sister just came by to pick her- hey! She's not my girlfriend!" Kevin quickly objected, after catching on to his question.

* * *

"Where the hell is Regan and Krauser?" Leon muttered, leaning against the side of his car. Watching as Luis and Ashley finally decided to get out of the back, which he didn't even want to know if they were doing something earlier, and stretch.

"Have you gotten word of them yet?" Ada asked, as she walked over.

"No, I'm beginning to think they either got killed, or lost," Leon answered. "I'm leaning towards killed."

"That's not very nice," she replied sarcastically.

"Yeah well, making me wait isn't very nice either," he remarked, before looking up as a car crossed two lanes of traffic without even looking before speeding right into the convience store and swerved around into the back of the Car Wash. Almost taking out Murphy, who was too busy playing with his Gameboy to even notice. Shaking his head, he walked over to the newly arrived couple. Watching as Regan just about toppled out of the passenger seat.

"I am NEVER letting you drive again," she spoke, watching as Krauser only laughed.

"You'll get use to it," he replied. "So, what's going on around here?"

"Uh, aside from nothing," Leon muttered. "We're just trying to get our acts together and figure out what to do next."

"Sleep would be great," Regan commented before checking the backseat of their vehicle. "Although, it seems like none of Krauser's reckless antics woke Steve up. Thank God it didn't, or else that boy would have nightmares for the rest of his life."

"It wasn't that bad," Krauser replied.

"Of course it's not bad crossing lanes of traffic without looking, or speeding through Stop signs and red lights," Regan went on. "And you didn't even wear your seatbelt."

"So, anyways," Krauser continued, obviously ignoring her now. "Nothing's planned as far as we know?"

"Not a thing," Leon answered.

"Good, that means we haven't missed much," Krauser shrugged, giving a heavy stretch.

"We really need to work on communication here," Regan sighed before walking over to where Chris and Jill were standing, drinking coffee from the nearest store. "Hey, you guys okay? We drove by and say the super market, didn't look too good."

"It wasn't," Jill replied. "And now this city is probably covered with Umbrella soldiers all over the place."

"Don't worry about it, we got your back," Regan spoke, as she rubbed her stiff shoulders for a moment. "We were going to get involved in the battle, but I changed my mind at the last minute. So, if you saw some crazy car just passing by and perhaps a submachine shooting out the sun roof. That was us."

"So, why did it take you guys so long to get here?" Chris asked.

"Because Mr. Husband over there got lost and didn't want to ask for directions, so instead he drove through different lanes of traffic without looking," Regan replied.


	22. Another Plane

**A/N: I've learned an important lesson. Never type when you're bored, or really tired. I ended up deleting parts of this chapter, because it made no sense. Not even to me.**

Mikhail sighed before checking his watch once again. He had gone ahead and ordered the next flight tickets to Arizona, just as they had planned days before. Their flight would be leaving in an hour, and would be leaving without them if the others didn't hurry up. He ran a hand through his hair before looking out across the airport parking lot. People were rushing back and forth around him, always in such a hurry to get here or there. No one ever seeming to enjoy their time anymore.

He watched as a new car came into view, and watched as it parked fairly close to the building. Shifting his beret slightly, he walked over to where the new emerging figure would soon appear. He waited at the furthest wall, where the least amount of people were standing. Watching till the figure came just into reach. "Billy, is it?"

"Mikhail," came as a reply.

"I was hoping to meet you here," Mikhail spoke. "You seen the others?"

"They were gathering themselves after another attack last time I checked," Bill answered.

"Another one? That wouldn't have anything to do with that supermarket place, would it?" Mikhail asked.

"It did," he nodded. "Umbrella blew the place up from the inside and then somehow managed to enlist the help of local police and paramedics."

"Damn...," Mikhail muttered with a shake of his head. "Is everyone okay?"

"Tired but alive," Billy replied.

"Good, the last thing we need is a serious injury on our case," he commented, looking around at the continuous run of people back and forth. "I had a feeling that Umbrella was going to show it's ugly face sometime after we landed, but I didn't think they'd do it twice now." he sighed and fixed his beret once more. "I took the outer roads around the town instead of keeping with the group. I needed to see if they knew where we were heading, or if there had been a leak of information."

"And?" Billy asked.

"They attacked me as well," he nodded. "So their soldiers weren't isolated to just one location, they were all over the place. They knew the town didn't have any hotels and that there were only two ways out. Umbrella clearly took every possibility and covered it. Now, the supermarket thing...I'm not sure if that was planned or last resort kind of thing. It's possible they planned it as well, but I'm leaning more towards sudden action here."

"They'll be planning something soon again," Billy remarked.

"They never stop."

* * *

"There's only a few good things about this next flight," Jill spoke, rubbing her temples as she leaned back in the passenger seat.

"And what's that?" Chris asked, trying to keep what little concentration he had left on the road.  
"It'll be long, boring and the perfect atmosphere for a nap," she replied.

"God I hope so," Richard commented from the back. "I'm starting to see some pretty weird things right now."

"No, they're called people Richard," Chris teased as he pulled into the parking lot of the airport. "Think we'll be able to find a flight in time?"

"If not, we'll wait in the parking lot," Jill shrugged. "Because I am not getting into another motel for the rest of my life. Ever!"

Chris chuckled as he found a quick parking space in the back. "I hope you guys don't mind walking because I don't feel the need to circle the parking lot a hundred times just to find a space one row closer." he cut the engine and got out. Watching as the other bullet-damaged vehicles pulled up around them. He waited till the other groups got out. "You think they'll mind the bullet holes, or should we just go ahead and pay off the damages?"

"Let's not worry about it," Forest replied. "They can bill us later."

Cutting quickly across the parking lot, they pushed aside through the large crowds standing by the taxi-invaded curbside. They almost welcomed the cooling air that gushed from entering the front doors before looking around at the large airport. People stood close by waiting for planes to come in, others were in line for coffee and snacks, and several were getting their tickets from the ticket counter.

"I suppose I'll wait in line for the tickets," Chris muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"It'll be hell," Jill replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'll risk it," he commented, kissing her forehead.

"Chris! Jill!" the two looked up as someone called their names before watching as Mikhail emerged from the crowd.

"Mikhail. Where have you been?" Jill asked, setting her hands on her hips.

"Everywhere," he answered, once reaching the two. "I went ahead and got the tickets. The flight will leave in forty-five minutes."

"You're a Saint, Mikhail," Chris smiled. "Gives us time to finally get some rest now."

* * *

His footsteps echoed off the narrow walls surrounding him as he continued on his way down the darkened corridor. The metallic walls around him held the temperature several notches below that of the upper levels. Giving off an eerie feeling to the narrow hallways and closed doors. He looked up as the door at the far end of the hallway came closer and closer with each footstep. Throwing it open, he stepped inside and looked around. A library, not much else to say about it. Shelves of books pressed up against every available wall, and even filled in any empty space between tables and walkways. Continuing on the center walkway, he turned to the right and stopped in mid-step.

_Of course...as always..._ he thought with a silent sigh.

The identical figures were together on the dark-red, leather couch. Alfred with a book still in one hand as Alexia rested her head on his right shoulder and legs tucked beneath her. The twins had obviously fallen asleep while in the midst of some sort of reading.

"I figured," Birkin muttered beside him. "You find one, you find the other."

"Is there something you need?" Alexia sneered, her icy blue eyes shot open with a piercing glare.

"When you have a free moment, we need a few minutes to...discuss something," Wesker answered, barely flinching at her pierce.

She closed her eyes and scoffed slightly. "Sure." she watched as the two turned and headed back across the library. She sat up some and stretched, listening as the library door slammed closed once more. _Always needing a woman's help..._ she thought.

"You are smarter than them," Alfred replied, stretching now before rubbing his shoulder where her head had rested.

"And you...always reading my thoughts," Alexia smiled before setting her head back against him. "Now then, where were we?"

* * *

Regan sighed as she grabbed the coffees from the counter before heading back to Section D3. Most of the other sections were empty, except theirs, which had to have almost every seat filled. Mainly because some members took two or more chairs. Walking around one of the few rows, she took her seat back before heading the other coffee to Krauser. "Still nothing?" she asked.

"Not much," he answered. "Although, I think Murphy might've twitched some,"

"Think we should tell Carlos he's drooling on his shoulder?" Regan questioned, taking a sip of the burning liquid. Wincing for a moment as it scolded and numbed her tongue.

"Nah," Krauser answered. "Let him find out."

She took another sip when she regained feeling back to her mouth before resting her head on his shoulder. "So...what do you think we'll be facing when we get to this 'Umbrella' base?"

He almost had to chuckle lightly when remembering this was practically only her second time going against Umbrella. "You remember the mountains of Raccoon City, and the last base we were in?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Think five times worse, only you're not looking after your daughter but everyone else," he replied.

She seemed to give it some thought before giving a wince. "Sounds like I have my hands full."

"It's not that bad," he shrugged. "You'll be paying more attention to the enemies rather than allies."

"What would happen if allies turn into enemies?" Regan asked suddenly.

Before he had the chance to reply, the intercom clicked on above them and a female voice spoke. "Flight number 376 has arrived for loading. Section D3 please began boarding." he stood up as a few other people began to move towards the doors. "Come on guys, it's the last plane out of Vietnam."

"Five more minutes," Murphy muttered, leaning over his armrest and practically sleeping on Carlos's right shoulder.

"Dude, did you just drool over my shoulder?" Carlos asked.

"Come on, we can sleep on the flight there," Jill muttered tiredly, as she practically had to force herself to her feet.

The team slowly got up one by one before taking their things and heading towards the loading deck. Moving through the narrow tube leading to the plane before passing through the different class sections. The real hassle came as they tried to find their seats around the other passengers. And lack of recent sleep was not well on the nerves as Jill snapped at several people, before Chris could pull her away and quickly apologize. It took almost fifteen minutes before everyone found their seats.

"You should've let me hit her," Jill mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She had a baby," Chris reminded, before putting his arms around her. Ignoring the slight growling noise she gave off. "Just relax and try not to think about the next three hours we have on this plane."

* * *

"Looks like this will be bundles of fun," Leon muttered.

"Is that because you hate flying or because Ashley and Luis are all the way on the other side of the plane?" Ada asked, as she opened a new magazine.

"What?"


	23. Club

**A/N: So, this chapter came in just bits and pieces. I'm hoping it'll pick up after this. **

"I'm bored," Ashley sighed, after waking from an hour long nap. She looked around at the other passengers, most of whom were either asleep or busying themselves with a book or magazine. "And why are we on the other side of the plane anyways, when everyone else is over there?"

"Because it gives us some alone time," Luis answered, eventually having to put away his MP3 player in order to listen to her. "Besides, it's better than having to sit behind Leon and Ada."

Ashley snickered slightly. "Yeah, all they do is talk boring things or kiss up to each other. They're so weird."

"Well hey, if you're still bored, there's always sex in the airplane bathroom," he suggested.

* * *

Ada hummed softly to herself as she flipped through another magazine, one she had gotten from Jill just before the woman fell asleep. She had already gotten her rest and decided to busy herself with reading about other people's lives. Wonder what it would be like to have someone read about your life everyday from a magazine? She snickered lightly at the thought of it, just thinking of the headlines. _S.T.A.R.S. team heads to last, existing Umbrella base. Will they survive?_ or _Woman in Red. Just who is she? Find out now!_

"This is not good," she looked up and notice Leon standing next to her in the aisle.

"What?" she asked.

"I can't find Ashley or Luis," he replied, before getting back into his seat. "I've looked all over the plane and nothing."  
"Don't worry yourself over it," she assured, patting his shoulder. "Luis is probably with her, so she's safe."

"I don't know...," Leon muttered.

"Oh my God, I have to go so bad," Murphy commented, rather loudly, a few rows in front.

"Is there a problem?" Carlos asked, playing Solitaire with Mikhail's deck of cards.

"Yeah, someone's been in there for like half an hour," Murphy answered, slumping down in his seat. "People need to stop joining the Mile-High Club in there!"

"Murphy, would you be quiet," Carlos spoke, noticing several people looking over at them.

"I'm just saying, getting freaky in the airplane bathroom is a little weird," Murphy continued.

"Carlos, can you get him to lower his voice a bit?" Jill asked, from the row in front. His loud speech had awaken her from her peaceful nap.

"He doesn't listen," Carlos answered, sighing slightly. "He doesn't listen."

Jill sighed herself before settling back in her seat. Well, now that her nap was over, she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. She stared up at the overhead compartment for awhile before reaching over and placing her hand on Chris' arm. Running her fingers up and down his warm skin.

"Something you want?" Chris asked, setting his book down.

"Not really," she answered. "Just wondering what's going to awaiting us when we get to Arizona."

"Well, hopefully not Umbrella," Chris replied, although more likely, they would be there.

"I'm hoping it's someone we like," Jill commented, yawning lightly before resting her head on his shoulder. "You know, like...I can't think of anyone we like. All the people we get along with are on this plane too."

"Then I hope no one's there when we land," he remarked. "That way, we don't have to worry about anything."

* * *

"I can't feel my legs," Edward muttered, staring at the top of Forest's head. The Bravo team Marksmen had decided to lean his chair back over the Sniper's legs as he slept.

"Then push his chair back up," Kevin replied.

"I don't want to break it," Edward spoke. "Although I would enjoy crushing his skull."

"Then get Joseph to do it," he offered with a shrug. "He's right next to him."

Edward sighed for a moment before giving it a shot. "Hey Joseph, you mind moving Forest's chair up a bit?"

"No problem," Joseph answered, leaning over before grabbing the seat lever to ease it forward. Mistaking the pressure he used, as the chair nearly folded over forward. He froze for a moment before slowly pulling his hands away. "If you're awake, it was Edward's idea."

"I can't feel my spine," Forest spoke, his answer muffled slightly. "But uh, would you mind putting the chair back and snapping my spine in place again."

"Well, that went well," Edward muttered sarcastically, as Joseph set the chair back into place.

"Hey, you can feel your legs, can't you?" Kevin asked, as he stretched before noticing a small slip of paper fall out of his pocket. Picking it up, he unfolded it and read the phone number written across it. _You gotta be kidding me_ he smiled before putting the paper away again. _Abigail...you don't stop at much..._

* * *

"I am so tired," Richard commented, slumped down in his seat.

"Then sleep," Rebecca replied, as she flipped through her book.

"I can't. Every time I close my eyes I imagine the plane crashing," he answered.

She shook her head with a light smile. "Well now, you're the one who wanted to watch Final Destination for the fifth time before we left."

"It's a good movie," he shrugged.

"It creeps you out every time," she reminded.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "If the plane starts to fall, you'll tell me right?"

"Of course I will, sweetheart," Rebecca smiled, as she patted his arm.

* * *

"So, what exactly can you do on that laptop?" Barry asked, noticing the familiar Gateway brand computer.

"Almost anything with the upgrades I installed," Brad answered, before bringing up a new program. The screen went black for a moment before lighting up in a faint outline of the seating on the plane. "Such as this, where it sends signals to outline any enclosed area."

"And what does that help with?" he questioned.

"It can also track cellular signals," Brad continued, watching as a red dot appeared on the seats just a few rows ahead of them. "Such as that, where a text message is being sent. And following the cellular signal, I can also track who receives the message." a blue dot appeared at the seats in front of them, where Mikhail and Enrico were sitting.

Mikhail pulled his cellphone from his vest pocket as the small tune played. Flipping it open, he read the message Murphy had apparently sent him. _Were u in the Soviet Union?_ he chuckled lightly and decided to humor his younger comrade.

"That's pretty nifty," Barry commented.

* * *

"Worried much?" Kenneth asked, glancing over to his younger neighbor, who was typing away on his phone.

"A little," Steve nodded, finishing off his message before sending it off. "Probably not as much as she is for me, but I still feel bad for leaving her behind. I probably should've stayed with her."  
"I don't know, we'll need as many people as we can get to help here," Kenneth replied. "You play a bigger part than you think."

"Yeah...," Steve muttered, before his phone lit up as a new message arrived. _Doing fine. What about you?_ He typed back a quick reply. "I just want this thing to get over with quickly."

"She'll be fine," he assured. "She's strong from what I've seen and she's a Redfield too."

* * *

"Okay that's it," Leon spoke, it had been almost over an hour since he had last seen Ashley. "Has anyone see those two?"

"Which two?" Jill asked.

"Ashley and Luis," he answered.

"No, not much," she shrugged. "They were on the other side of the plane that last I've seen of them."

"Maybe Mikhail will know...," Leon muttered.

"He says he doesn't," Murphy replied. "I asked him earlier. Carlos, did you know Mikhail was in the Soviet Union? Does that make him bad or good?"

"You worry too much," Ada commented, putting her magazine away before hearing the sounds of approaching footsteps. She glanced back in time to see the blonde-haired Daughter of the U.S. President walking down the aisle. "See, look, here she comes."

Leon looked up and watched as the girl stopped in front of them, about to speak before he interrupted her. "And where we you?"

"In my seat," Ashley answered, before Luis joined her.

"I checked, and you weren't there," Leon continued.

"I went to ask the stewardess if they had any water, I was getting parched," Ashley replied, crossing her arms. "Jeez, when are you going to stop treating me like a baby and let me grow up?"

"When you're not the daughter of the most powerful man in the U.S.," Leon reminded, before slumping back in his seat. The whole deal with those two were beginning to give him a headache. The whole situation was beginning to give him a headache.

"You two seem a little flushed," Ada noted, watching as the two glanced at one another before chuckling nervously.

"The uh, the little air vent doesn't work," Ashley answered. "We went walking around the plane to cool ourselves off."

"So you two finally decided to stop on the Mile-High Club membership qualification," Murphy commented as he walked by. "About time. You've been in there for like an hour now."

**A/N: I'm sure we all know what the Mile-High Club is.**


	24. Land

**A/N: Kind of a short chapter, pretty easy to read. Kind of had fun with it. Hopefully the next few chapters will be easy too.**

The landing of the plane was a much needed checkpoint as the large group practically dashed off and headed through the large airport itself. Spending as little time as possible to grab their luggage from the belt claim before heading out.

"Did anyone call ahead for rental vehicles?" Jill asked, shouldering her bag over one shoulder.

"Nope," Chris answered, pausing for a moment. "I guess that would've been something to be done before we got on the plane in the first place."

"Leon! Chris!" the duo looked up at the call, watching as a woman hurried over to them. Dark-brown hair pulled back into a bun, as a pair of thin-framed glasses balanced on the edge of her nose. She was dressed in a gray suit with a matching skirt. Her heels clicking against the ground as she moved.

"Hunningan?" Leon questioned as she neared. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story," she replied, seemingly out of breath. "I have cars waiting outside and hotel rooms set up."

"You're starting to freak me out here," Leon started.

She waved her hand at him. "Just follow me, I'll explain on the way."

"Hello, who is that gorgeous woman?" Murphy asked from the back. "Leon, why don't you introduce me to this lovely friend of yours?"

Leon sighed and barely even noticed the faint blush Hunningan gave at the compliments. "This is Ingrid Hunningan, she works with the CIA. But, let's just do what she says and ask questions later. Apparently, something's going on."

She lead them through the large building and out into the humid atmosphere outside before turning them to several vehicles parked along the curb. Each one of them large vans, with a total of three vehicles that could hold up to eight people. Hunningan took the driver's seat of the leading car before heading out of the parking lot. Leading the other two vehicles out as well, as they circled the parking lot before heading out onto the streets.

"Wanna start explaining all of this?" Leon asked, settled in the passenger seat.

"Of course," she nodded, before hitting a small button next to the radio. "Can everyone else here me?" she called.

"Yeah, we can," Chris answered over the radio.

"Same here," Forest replied.

"Good, because I can only say this once," Hunningan started. "We, as in the team at the White House, were ordered to keep on standby in case anything were to go wrong with your mission. We are intentionally here for you guys, but as well, the White House must look after it's First Daughter. Anyways, we were checking reports and keeping track of your movement when we noticed something different on our screens. It seemed as though we had picked up someone else's radar as well. Our first guess was that it had to be a mistake, but as we watched, it continued to follow your path as well. It was a pretty easy conclusion to come to after that."

"You mean Umbrella was following us?" Forest asked. "Well, of course they've been following us, but you mean even tracking us? How?"

"Yes, they practically mapped our every one of your movements like we have been doing," Hunningan answered. "We decided that we couldn't let them get a hold of you just yet, so I flew here to meet you and set you up with solid transportation and rooming."

"How did you beat us here?" Leon questioned.

"I took the President's private jet," she replied.

"Why didn't we do that?" Chris muttered over the radio.

"Anyways, I wanted to make sure you had safe transport when you were at a more vulnerable point in this mission," Hunningan continued. "As well, I would advise if you could keep a low profile for awhile and take a few days off."

"What?" Jill almost shouted over the other side. "Richard, do you hear this?"

"We can't take days off," Richard replied. "Umbrella would jump like a harpoon to a whale at that kind of advantage.

"Harpoon?" Forest questioned.

"Don't question me," Richard countered.

"Everyone's a little irritated with the recent...situations we've been in," Ada explained, rubbing her temples as various voices were heard over the radio. Including Murphy singing some kind of random song.

"I figured that much," Hunningan nodded. "But, our little group has provided you with several different outfits to use as disguises. We know Umbrella will likely flood this town with spies and soldiers by tomorrow, so just try and look as though you're someone else. We recommend maybe even hanging around with different members to hide yourselves."

"Are you giving us advice on how to avoid Umbrella?" Jill asked. "Because we have been doing that for _years_ now. We don't really need much help in that subject."

"Let's not get testy Jill," Chris spoke.

"Here we are." Hunningan called as she pulled the first van into a large parking lot.

* * *

"Well, they have good taste," Regan teased as she examined the room she was going to share with Krauser. Setting her things on one of the beds as she explored the room. It was a five-star hotel, with a gorgeous view of the city and the biggest bathroom she had ever seen. The bath itself seemed to take up half the room. "I won't criticize them there."

"It's okay," Krauser replied, tossing his things on the other bed. "I mean...whatever."

"Oh come on, can't you try to get into it?" she asked, walking from the bathroom. "And have you seen the tub in there? You could have a party in that thing."

"That's nice, why don't you just call in a few of your friends and you girls can make bubble friends or what it is you do in there," Krauser remarked.

She smiled before walking over to him, placing her hands on his chest. "What do you say we push the beds together and later on go have ourselves a 'party' in the tub?"

"Well first I'd have to ask what's gotten into you," he answered, his hands sliding down her sides as she offered a mischievous smile.

"I don't know. Maybe all the sleeplessness and running around has gotten me a little...in the mood," she spoke, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"We should do it more often then."

* * *

"Hey, you wanna go grab some lunch or something?" Ada asked, having to settled into their room. It felt like they haven't eaten for days, which was probably true aside from the little snacks on the plane.

"Sure, I guess," Leon shrugged. "You want me to grab Regan and Krauser?"  
"I don't care," she replied, guessing he was still mad at Luis and Ashley since the incident on the plane.

Leon nodded and headed out into the hallway. Krauser and Regan had the room across from them, and surprisingly enough, their door was already closed. Most of the team had left their doors opened, mainly because they intended to leave later on. Considering they still apparently had one more free day before Umbrella was on their ass again. He started to knock before hearing what sounded like furniture being moved and the sudden squeaking of the mattresses. Cringing slightly, he pulled away before heading back to his own room. "What do you say we just go to lunch by ourselves? Have some alone time."

"Sounds romantic," Ada smiled, grabbing her purse as she walked over. "Which probably just means the other two are 'busy', right?"

"More than you know it," Leon sighed.

* * *

"Did anyone tell the White House that they have horrible tastes in fashion?" Jill spoke, as she shuffled through the already full closet. Passing by leggings and leopard-styled shirts and pants. Almost mentally wincing at all of the choices. "I think I'd rather buy my own things rather than have to humiliate myself by wearing that stuff."

"Jill, get over it," Chris laughed, walking over to close the closet. "Just stop thinking about it. Let's go out and sight see for a few hours and then come back and rent a video or something."

"You seem to be enjoying these days off," Jill commented.

He sighed and shook his head. "To be honest, going up against Umbrella scares the hell out of me every time. And knowing that this may be the last time, I can't help but thinking what else can they throw at us? Sure, zombies, tyrants, hunters, whatever, but I get this feeling that they'll have something different this time."

"This will be the last time," Jill reminded, as she busied herself by smoothing out his collar. "And you think too much."

"Well one of us has to," he teased.

"Hey Jill, Chris!" the two looked back as Murphy and Carlos walked by. "We're going to go get drunk and get some cheap hookers, you wanna come?"

* * *

"Oh man, this bed is so comfy," Richard commented, as he rolled over one of the beds. "Man, Rebecca, you gotta come try these things. It's like angel hair and sunshine."

"I think you're exaggerating a bit," Rebecca chuckled as she set her things on the nearest dresser. Although she had to admit, it was the nicest hotel she had ever been in. Definitely better than the motel from earlier. She turned to him, watching as he laid face-first in the covers. "Come on, the others are going out to get lunch."

"And?" he asked.

"Well, I'm kind of hungry and it would be great to get something to eat," she replied.

"Let's just stay here and order room service," Richard suggested, as he rolled over onto one side. "We can order a movie or something and just stay cuddled up all night."

She smiled and shook her head. "You are so cute when you try to be romantic."

"Not working?" he asked, grinning himself.

"It would've if I didn't have short patience right now," she spoke. "Now come on."

He groaned before rolling off the side of the bed. "Fine, but you owe me."

"How about I take you to lunch?" she teased.


	25. Hotel

**A/N: So, I think I might've mispelled some names or something. I got confused and it was late at night. Am I even spelling Hunningan right?**

"So, did we check up on what the others were doing before we came out?" Chris asked, as the two walked down one of the less crowded street sides.

"Well, Murphy and Carlos were apparently going to go out and get drunk with some cheap hookers," Jill answered. "Although I can only guess it was Murphy's idea. I think Joseph and Forest were going to go with them for a few drinks. Kevin and Edward were going to stay back, probably to enjoy the hot tub they have there with the sexy attendants. Barry was going to call and check up on Kathy and the girls. Brad was doing something on his laptop. Kenneth and Steve went to play in the game room. And that's all I know."

"Seems like everyone's enjoying themselves," Chris muttered sarcastically as they walked into a nearby cafe. It seemed nice enough and he was pretty sure Umbrella wouldn't be in it. A sign read for them to seat themselves, which they gladly did and took the only table looking out across the town. "Then again considering this will probably be our only day of relaxation, I can imagine they would be knocking themselves out over it."

"I just feel sorry for the female population at the bar," Jill chuckled. "You know how Murphy can be around women. He's like a flirt-aholic."

* * *

_This was a bad idea_ Carlos thought, watching as Murphy flirted with the two girls next to him. Apparently no amount of alcohol could slow down his smooth talking.

"Dude, does he ever stop?" Joseph asked, as he started on his second drink.

"Nope," Carlos answered, before going back to his own beer. "Hell, he barely stops at married women."

"I don't know, I think Kevin might have him beat with that pregnant lady he met," Forest commented.

"If Murphy had the chance, he'd flirt with her and the baby," Carlos chuckled. "I don't know where he gets this stuff but apparently it works."

Forest shook his head and swirled his glass in one hand. "So...this is it then. One of the few remaining days to catch our breaths and get things in control before we have to go up against the Big Man."

"Yep," Joseph nodded. "Probably one of the few days for us to actually live."

Why was it now that Carlos just realized he was the only non-virus-infected member of the team here? Maybe that was Murphy's secret. His parasite-virus-whatever gave off some kind of scent or something the women found attractive. Kind of creepy though. "At least we can celebrate the days with a drink."

"Cheers," Forest spoke.

* * *

"They weren't kidding about this water being hot," Edward commented, noticing the clear difference in skin color on his arms. His shoulders were paste-white compared to the almost blood-red heat of his forearms. "I mean, I know they said hot tub but this is more like a lava pit."

"I can't tell if you're complaining or complimenting it," Kevin replied, as the hot water helped relax his tense muscles. "Would you like to elaborate on it?"

"Nah," he answered, running a hand through his brown hair as a heavy sigh escaped him. "Feels nice to finally have a moment to relax and get over all of this 'Umbrella' stuff."

"And finally have a place to sleep where a spring isn't digging into your lower back," Kevin remarked. "Or having a grenade being tossed through the window."

"That sucked," Edward nodded, watching as a family with two kids came into the pool area. "How's that healing anyways?"

"It's almost done," Kevin answered, checking the light burns on his arm that still remaining. "The explosion at the market didn't help and the lack of rest has taken a toll on the recovering process. It still looks kind of bad."

"You still have some shrapnel in your neck too," Edward pointed out, noticing the tips of several metal pieces glistening in his skin.

"Yeah, I'll have to get some pliers or something pull them out," he replied with a light shrug. "But, I just try not to think on it."

"Does it work?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, till someone asks."

* * *

"So, any thoughts on naming the baby?" Kenneth asked, as he readied his next shot and landed the striped five ball into the corner pocket. He circled the pool table once before finding his next shot. Missing the side pocket by an inch this time.

"Not really, we're still trying to get over everyone's reaction," Steve answered, as he checked out the pool table before working out the angles of several hits. "As well, we're trying to get situated as newlyweds and now with the baby, we haven't really had much time for a name yet."

Kenneth nodded and watched as the teen managed to sink three of the solid balls into both the side and corner pockets. "Well I'm sure you'll get through. I mean, you made it this far, right?"

"I guess so," Steve nodded, circling to find his next hit. "You know though, Claire brought this up one time and I didn't really know what to think of it. Since the baby shares both our blood, would it be affected by my virus?"

"Wow...never thought of that," he replied, trying not to think of a half-mutated baby, although it was hard to ignore.

"Yeah, well Claire had a ball with it," Steve sighed, going to take his next shot. "She went off on it being born with green skin, or possibly claws and fangs. Of course, it didn't help that we had watched 'It's Alive' earlier that night, but didn't really stop her."

Kenneth gave a light chuckle and watched as Steve managed to land another solid ball in. "That was a bad movie to watch with her mind. She's probably still talking about it."

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt that," Steve chuckled.

* * *

"I'm just saying Kathy, it could happen," Claire continued, as she followed the older woman through the aisles.

"Claire, it's nonsense," Kathy laughed as she scanned the shelves for anything she needed. "Those were old movies, and none of it could really happen."

"Yeah, but Steve does have that weird virus thing," she reminded.

Kathy just shook her head and grabbed a can of cream from the shelf. "I doubt it's much. Probably not even enough to do any sort of damage to the child."

"I just think it would be cool if I had a baby with claws," Claire commented, getting a few crazed looks from several people passing by. "I mean, how cool would that be? The doctors would be so freaked, because nothing like that has ever happened before. Only in movies."

"You have a crazy imagination," Kathy remarked, as they walked into the dairy section. She grabbed two gallons of milk before moving on down. "I can't tell if you're serious or joking half the time."

"I know, that's what makes it great," Claire smiled.

"Claire!" she turned back at the call of her name, watching as a Latin woman trotted over to them. A grocery basket in one hand.

"Cynthia. Odd place to meet," Claire spoke.

"Well, I have to eat too," Cynthia replied. "Probably not as much as you do, but still."

"Bitch," Claire laughed, hitting her arm. "Anyways, Kathy this is Cynthia, she's Carlos' girlfriend. I don't know if that means anything to you, but I figured I throw it out there."

"I hope you can manage to keep her entertained while I go get some bread for the week," Kathy smiled, before walking off.

"Man, must be boring having to stay here while you're usually out fighting the undead," Cynthia commented, a bit too loud as more people glancing over in confusion.

"Don't even get me started," Claire sighed. "I still don't think it's fair. I mean, I've got this far and I can't get go with them for the showdown."

"Well, you have a baby to think of," Cynthia reminded.

"I know, that's what everyone keeps telling me," Claire muttered. "Thanks a lot baby, you just ruined the biggest chance to kick ass."

* * *

"The S.T.A.R.S. team has arrived in Arizona," Birkin spoke, as he entered the dark, almost lightless room. Papers in one hand as he brushed aside several long dirty-blonde bangs from his face.

Wesker nodded and studied the screens in front of him. "Our men will be a day late, but I can imagine they already know that." he watched as the team left the airport with a woman in a gray-suit in front. "It seems as though they've caught us one step ahead."

"How so?" Birkin asked.

"The government no doubt," Wesker commented, as he stood.

"The President?" the blonde-haired scientist questioned, watching as the other figure turned and walked past him.

"No, but it's someone inside the White House," he answered. "Worry not though, we can easily get this under control. We'll have them beat us for the moment, but there is still a much bigger war."

William watched as his friend left the room, letting the door slid close behind him. Rubbing his temples for a moment, he glanced back at his notes that were just faxed from the men already positioned there. "What exactly do you have planned Wesker?" he muttered, unsure if he fully understood the man's intentions yet.


	26. Day One

**A/N: I had fun with this chapter. I've had it planned for awhile now so it was quick to type.**

The first day had been left with few complications, and no Umbrella activity that they were aware of. But as the second day rolled on, Hunningan spoke specifically to each team that the importance of the disguises were greatly needed in order to evade detection. A few smart marks were made, mostly from Jill who thought the government woman was just trying to tell them how to do their job. Either way, there was no point in arguing as everyone reluctantly shedding off their old uniforms and fitted into the new ones.

"Come on Murphy, we need to get going," Carlos called as he slipped into the old, leather jacket that was left hanging in the closet. Throwing it over a faded-blue shirt that was a bit too tight for his taste. He looked back to see his friend still half tangled in the sheets. Sighing, he walked over and shook his shoulders. "Murphy."

"I can't brain today, I have the dumb," Murphy muttered, waving a hand to knock him away.

"You shouldn't have drank so much last night," Carlos sighed, although it would be an eventful day seeing his friend trying to battle the headaches and loss of balance. "I'll be in the hallway whenever you decide that you can stand again." he walked across their room before going out into the hallway, where a few more people were standing around.

"Your shirt tight enough?" Jill teased, even though the light-pink, summer dress she wore was not the most flattering.

"Give me a camera and call me Frank," Carlos replied, as he walked over. "Nice dress by the way."

"Thanks," she muttered, rolling her eyes at his sarcasm.

"Well, this isn't so bad," Chris commented as he stepped out from their room. Wearing an old, faded Rolling Stones shirt, with a pair of ripped up jeans. "Although it makes me look twenty-one."

"At least you don't look seven," Jill remarked.

"I can see why people hate the government," Ada mumbled, displeased by the choice of clothing that was offered. Knee-Knocker jeans with an off-the shoulder blouse.

"Second," Rebecca agreed, coming out in a corset top and miniskirt. "I don't know who picked these clothing out, but they need to be sedated and put in a mental institute."

"Wanna trade?" Jill asked, before looking up as the government woman came over.

"Alright, I just wanted to come by and make sure that everyone knows what to do and how to act here," Hunningan spoke, crossing her arms after adjusting her glasses. "Is there any questions over this?"

"Yeah, who picked out these outfits?" Jill questioned.

Hunningan shook her head and looked back to the group. Purposely ignoring Jill's question as she went back to her own agenda. "Anyways, as we set out before, you will have to be paired up with different people, in order to better blend in with the public. Umbrella is expecting to see Jill and Chris together or, Leon and Ada. This way, it separates the groups and gets Umbrella into thinking that only half of the team got here. As well, I ask that you try to change your personalities a bit. Seem nicer or more aggressive than normal. Anything that would help in disguising you."

"Who wants to be my partner?" Jill asked sarcastically, as she set her hands on her hips before watching as Hunningan went off to speak with Leon. "God, this woman thinks she can come here and tell _us_ what to do. She's known Umbrella for what? Ten minutes. God help her if she ever actually runs into an Umbrella solider, then what is she going to do? Hand him a new outfit and tell him to find a new friend."

* * *

Transporting twenty-three in three vans to different parts of town was just about as hard as it seemed. Especially even more when groups weren't quite worked out yet, and people were still trying to organize themselves with it. Jill openly complaining about the weak, and confusing plan and it's complications. It took over an hour and a few awkward stops before everyone managed to get into a pair and figure out where they were going.

"This is so stupid, I swear. No one knows what they're doing. No one knows where everyone else is. This leaves us more open to Umbrella, when it's 'suppose' to be hiding us from it," Jill ranted, as she clung to her partner's arm and stormed down the street. Still obviously ticked at the plan. "I swear, and who does this Hunningan think she is? Coming around tell us what we can and cannot do, like we're children or something. I can't stand it."

"You are looking way to into this," Brad replied, when she had to pause a moment to catch her breath. He got stuck with wearing a black, leather trench coat, which he almost automatically hated. It sort of screamed irony in the sense of it. "They're basically just trying to do this to keep the President's Daughter safe."

"Yeah, well I don't really know where she is at the moment, and I don't think any of her bodyguards do either," Jill continued, slowing her steps some. "I think it just puts us in more danger. I think the governments out to get us."

"Everyone thinks the government is out to get them," he remarked.  
She sighed and stopped for a moment before looking around. "To be honest...this dress looks really, really bad."

He almost had to laugh at her comment. She had taken such a serious tone, anyone would've imagine she was going to go off on a different subject. "You gotta be kidding me."

"No, seriously, this dress is so ugly," Jill spoke. "I swear, I'm going to burn it any minute now. I'd rather run around naked than wear this thing. You know what, forget what Hunningan said, I'm buying something else to wear." she grabbed his arm once more and pulled him into the nearest store.

"Do you really hate the dress, or is it just because Hunningan probably picked it out?" Brad asked, watching as she went shuffling through a nearby rack of jeans.

"You know Nemesis wears a trench coat too," she replied.

The two spent half an hour shopping, or Jill did at least, before finally choosing a new outfit that better suited their style. Jill had chosen a pair of slimming fitting jeans with a light-blue, slightly-revealing shirt to coincide with her favorite color. She had also picked out a pair of faded jeans and a dark-blue, button-up shirt for Brad, mainly because she wanted them to match and he didn't.

"Will this be all?" the clerk asked, as she set the clothing on the counter.

"I don't know, I'll probably be back tomorrow," Jill answered, running a hand through her hair. "But, that's it for today." Having paid for the clothing, she dragged him once more to the dressing rooms, where they both changed into their new outfits. "See, a lot better." she commented, smoothing out her shirt as she tossed the dress back into the bag.

"Well, seeing that you have that out of your system, now what?" Brad asked, buttoning up the last few buttons.

"I don't know," she mumbled, looking around. "Let's go see what they have around here. If not, there's a pool back at the hotel...,but that would mean I'd have to get another swim suit..."

"I'm not going with you," he quickly spoke.

"Oh come on," she teased, linking her arm with his again. "I look great in everything."

"Aw, are you two dating?" they both looked up as another store employee walked by.

"He's my fiancée," Jill answered quickly, as she rested her head against his arm. "We're getting married in November."

"That's so sweet. Congratulations," the employee smiled.

"Thanks," Jill replied, smiling back as the woman walked off into another direction. "You know, maybe Hunningan's plan isn't all that bad. After all, she practically told us to act like different people."

"I cannot believe you just did," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"What? It's not like you're ever going to see her again," she shrugged. "Unless you come by tomorrow with another woman, then you might have a problem."

* * *

Rebecca sighed, as she tucked at the miniskirt and corset. A bit too revealing for her, as she tried to duck from the obvious double glances from anyone passing by, most those of the male species. "I can't believe I got stuck with this." she muttered, trying not to trip on the two-inch heels connected to the knee-high boots. "I look like Jill."

"I won't argue," Enrico replied, hands stuffed in a denim jacket, as a low-cutting white shirt showed off his collarbones. "After all, that is something Jill would wear."

"What was the government thinking?" Rebecca sighed, deciding just to give up on it. It wasn't like the government knew anything about them. Nothing on a personal level anyways. Although, a simple pair of jeans and shirt would've done wonderfully for anyone on the S.T.A.R.S. team. They weren't afraid to get dirty in anything. But this outfit...she was afraid of even bending over or sitting down in it. Let alone try to outrun a bunch of soldiers or an explosion. "Well...since we're out, what do we do?"

"I don't know, I stay inside most of the time," Enrico answered. "You're the teenager."

She had to laugh a little at his comment, it was rare to hear Enrico pop jokes now and then. Especially since Renny...but there was no doubt that they were going to get her back. No matter what. Sighing again, this time a little louder, she looked around before pointing to a nearby store. "You wanna go in there?"

He looked up and examined the store just to their left. It looked like something between a clothing shop and a toy store. Although it looked like someone had gone through, because the mannequins were placed in some very 'suggestive' positions in the front window. "Not really, but no other place looks quite as interesting."

"Yeah...I noticed too," she nodded, trying hard to hid her blush at the mannequins before entering the store. She looked around at the racks of clothing and the shelves of toys and notebooks here or there. "They said they had a herbal area in the back. I need to pick up some supplies anyways.".

"I was hoping you had a good reason," he muttered, following her as she weaved in between the racks of clothing filling the store.

"No, I came for the mannequins," she teased, looking up as a sign hanging from the ceiling read: Herbs and Other Spa Items.. _Oh yes, I only buy herbs to relax myself and rejuvenate my skin_ she thought with a silent chuckle. Walking over to a large display stand, she looked in at the different colors of herbs growing inside. A heat lamp kept the herbs warm, and the soil seemed recently watered, so they were still fresh. Which was the best time to get them and grind up into a fine powder. "So, what do you think of this whole 'government cover-up thing'?" she asked, figuring it wasn't the best subject to bring up but they needed some kind of topic to talk about.

"It's retarded," he answered, causing her to laugh again. "Not to mention she told us to act like different people, when really no one knows us anyways."

"I'll agree," she nodded. "So, how exactly are we suppose to change our personalities? I don't even know if I have one."

"Well you're usually calm-headed and the only one to keep tight to a situation," Enrico started off. "So you have to act opposite from that."  
"What? Scared and start to uncontrollably shake whenever something bad happens?" she asked, laughing slightly as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Why don't you just ask me to start bad-mouthing people and swearing up a storm whenever someone asks about my day."

"You could do that too," he shrugged. "You've never swore before...or, at least that I'm aware of."

"I could try it out," she shrugged back, looking over to the herbs. "You think I should even bother with getting the blue ones? We don't really use them...no one really gets poisoned."

"Excuse me!" she looked up at the stern voice, jumping slightly at the woman who suddenly appeared behind the counter. "You have to be eighteen years or older in order to handle these herbs. The last thing we need are more kids crushing them up and snorting them. So, can you please step away from the stand." the woman placed her hands on her hips, as if in an attempt to make herself look taller.

Rebecca gave a bitter laugh and crossed her arms. Figuring now would be the best time to try out a new face. "Why don't you fuck off you old hag. Jesus, you come over and start barking your fucking mouth at me like I'm some kind of brainless teen. Well I got news for ya bitch, I'm over eighteen and I'm through with fucking college. So, I'm smart enough not to crush up herbs and snort them, because I've seen other fucking people do it. And it's not damn pleasing. So, why don't you get off my fucking back and go do your fucking job, whatever it is. I'm sure there's some fucking spill you should be mopping up."

Enrico couldn't help but to laugh at the medic's slur of curses at the clerk, who seemed completely stunned at the response. Shaking his head, he watched as the medic turned and walked off. "Don't worry," he spoke, as the clerk looked over to him, her mouth slightly left open. "That's my daughter. I'm so proud." he almost gave a mock tone before walking after the medic.

"Daughter?" Rebecca questioned with a light smile, as he turned into the nearest aisle.

"I couldn't think of anything else," he shrugged.

* * *

"Aw man, I still have that hangover," Murphy groaned, as he rubbed his temples. It felt like his head was made of lead and knives were poking into the back of his eyes.

"Really? That didn't seem to affect you when you were putting those mannequins into sex positions," Carlos replied, still trying to figure out how his friend managed to move all ten mannequins and still leave the store without a single person noticing. Not even a store worker or anyone.

"Hey, the Ten Pin Body Hammer does not wait for the riddance of a hangover," Murphy laughed, stretching now. He was stuck in a similar shirt, that was too tight but was a dark gray. Unlike Carlos though, he ditched the jacket and let the shirt show off the rough contours of his upper body. "Can we find some place to sit down at?"

"Nah, I like walking," Carlos answered, letting his hands rest in the jacket pockets. "Come on, I heard they have like a little strip mall around here somewhere. I'm sure there's women you can try to pick up."

"My hangover's gone, let's go get some chicks,"

The strip mall was just as any other place. Stores lined here or there, with sales associates and customers visible in all windows. The stores ranged from perfumes to clothing to even sporting goods. A mild sized crowd hung around outside, not big enough to be annoyed by but a few dodging skills would be needed to get through the people. The two visited some stores, although preferring to just peer through the windows, considering a vast majority of the stores were women's clothing. Although, the perfect playing field for Murphy.

"Excuse me, would you two like to try out this perfume?" a sales associate asked, appearing from a store doorway with a round, purple bottle in hand.

"Hey, you can smell pretty for once," Murphy teased.

"No thanks-" Carlos started, hitting Murphy in the arm. By that time though, the woman already squeezed out a mist of the fruity-smelling formula.

"Sweet Jesus!" Murphy shouted, as most of the mist hit him right in the face. Burning in his eyes and nostrils. He coughed a few times as he inhaled some.

"You okay?" Carlos asked, looking back to see that the woman had now disappeared. _Strange..._ he thought, people didn't just spray you in the face with perfume and then walk off afterwards. He turned his attention back to Murphy, who managed to clear his breathing passages and was just now battling some watery eyes. "Come on, let's go sit down somewhere."

"That's what I wanted to do in the first place."

Around the corner was a small food court, where they took the table furthest from the others. "You just hang tight, I'm gonna go get some water for your eyes." Carlos spoke, getting up from his seat before heading towards the nearest stand. Luckily they already had bottled water sitting out, which he quickly bought and took a few napkins to go with it. "I'm not going to touch your eyes, so you can go ahead and do what you wanted."

"You are such a friend," Murphy teased, as he untwisted the bottle cap and just held his back as he poured the water on his face.

Technically, they weren't suppose to even be hanging around each other, or at least that's what Hunningan mentioned, but he was a little worried with letting Murphy hang out with anyone else. Knowing Murphy, no one really have much control over him besides either Mikhail or himself. Murphy was crazy like that. "Hey, I bought the water for you." Carlos reminded. "Still kind of weird that lady just came and went in like two seconds."

"She was such a bitch," Murphy muttered, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands before shaking his head. "But hey, if I looked like that, I'd be a bitch too."

"That's not nice," Carlos replied.

"She started it."

**A/N: I wonder if anyone got the thing Carlos said about the camera. Anyone? hopeful I always imagine Rebecca cussing someone out and always wanted to hear Enrico say something was 'retarded'. Comedy.**


	27. Day One, prt2

**A/N: Yeah, so this chapter is kind of lame...mainly because I didn't know how to end it and just threw in a bunch of sentences. I'll try to make the next one better, to make up for this one. And I apologize a head of time for the slight crack pairing...**

"This...is so lame," Luis muttered, sticking his hands into his pockets.

Ada chuckled lightly as she reminded herself of his wardrobe. Both he and Ashley had been stuck with the gothic apparel. With the jeans, shirts, jackets, corsets, boots, and even gloves. All of it. "You look like a high school Emo."

"And you look like an elementary prep," he shot back, earning a rough stare.

"So what do we do now?" she pondered, looking around at the empty town. "There's nothing going on around here. For the love of God, we're in Arizona. The Earth's oven box."

"The perfect place for Umbrella," Luis commented sarcastically, looking up as a dark figure appeared on the other side of the street. "Which reminds me..."

"I see him too," Ada whispered, watching the man out of the corner of her eye. She could see him talking into some kind of ear piece. "Think he notices yet?'

"Yeah..., but he's not sure what to do," Luis replied. "Probably wondering if there's anyone else around. They wouldn't attack a large group of people."

"What about the supermarket?" Ada reminded.

"That was an enclosed area where they could cover up the evidence," he continued. "Out here...anything, or anyone could be watching them. They're trying to seem normal."

"Oh yeah, black trench coats and randomly talking into earpieces make you normal," she muttered, watching as he seemed to slowly follow them from the other side. Her eyes shot up suddenly as two more figures came around from the corner a few yards in front of them. "There's more."

"We need a distraction," Luis hissed quietly. The last thing they needed was to be isolated from the others while Umbrella workers outnumbered them.

Her mind worked quickly to think of a plan to throw the soldiers off. She turned suddenly and shoved Luis into the nearest wall, watching as he seemed shock for a moment. Mentally cringing, she put on a fake smile and gave a fake, high-pitched voice. "Oh Tony, hold me in your big, huge, muscular arms!"

He seemed either caught off-guard, or disgusted at the situation, before quickly catching on. Wrapping his arms around her as he pulling her closer. "This is uncomfortable."

"Well it seems to be working," Ada mumbled, not pleased with the situation either. But she watched as the couple in front of them passed by without a second glance and the man across the street continued on his way. She let out a slow breath and quickly pulled away. Smoothing out her shirt before running a hand through her black hair. "I hope that's the only time we have to do something that drastic."

"Well at least you didn't try to kiss me," he replied, as they started back on their own way.

"Please, any man would kill to kiss me," Ada teased.

"Your lipstick's probably filled with lead, or some other kind of deadly chemical," Luis remarked, earning a slap to the arm. "What? It's probably true!"

"I'm really beginning to hate this."

* * *

"I can't believe you were so reckless!" Leon spoke, as the two of them turned the nearest corner.

"Can't you just let it go?!" Ashley replied, crossing her arms over the dark-purple, velvet corset. A black skirt brushed her upper thighs in matching appearance as a pair of knee-high boots seemed to accent the skirt's shortness.

Leon shook his head and fixed the collar of his Navy-blue shirt. Luckily, he was one of the few who got an outfit that was more fitting to him. Just a pair of faded jeans and a good-old blue shirt. "Just what would the President do if he heard about this 'plane incident' of yours?"

"I don't know and I don't care," Ashley muttered. "It's my business and none of his."

"You represent the Graham family too," Leon reminded.

"So I had sex with my boyfriend!" she spoke, a little too loudly as several people turned in their direction.

"Let's not get carried away here," Leon whispered, as he pulled her along. The only reason he got stuck with Ashley was because he didn't trust her with anyone else. And since her and Luis couldn't stay together, he and Ada switched partners. Of course, he could only imagine what the two lovers would do if they were together. "All I'm trying to say is...did it have to be on the plane?"

"Well, we already did it every where else," she remarked, getting a sharp look from him. "Kidding."

He let out a sharp breath and ran his hand through his hair. "I sure hope this whole thing is worth it."

"I know. I don't feel comfortable with Ada being around my man," Ashley commented, although it took more of a playful, sarcastic tone.

"Well, she is a lot better looking that you," Leon replied, getting a slap to the arm. "I'm just saying."

"Right," Ashley rolled her eyes as she set her hands on her hips. "I bet you guys did it in Spain."

"That's disgusting," Leon laughed.

"And in Raccoon City, wherever that was," Ashley continued before shrugging.

"No, other things happened in Raccoon City," Leon replied, shaking his head.

"Sounds kinky."

* * *

"...And that's pretty much how we met," Regan finished, as she drank at her purple slurpie in one hand.

"I thought I noticed you two looking familiar," Hunningan commented, smoothing out her solid gray suit.

"I don't see why you got to keep your clothes," Regan replied, wearing a pair of ripped up jeans with striped stockings underneath them. A white baseball jersey was thrown over a white underarmor shirt, which clung to her upper body like skin. The article she liked most was the baseball cap she got to wear, with her ponytail sticking out the back of it. "Not that I mind though."

Hunningan shook her head at the woman's comment. "That's because Umbrella doesn't know me."

"They don't know me either...just my husband," Regan remarked. "I've only been against them like...once. And that was because they kidnapped my daughter...well, maybe they'll know me."

"It's something, any little bit they can get," Hunningan reminded, fixing her glasses as they fell slightly

"You know what I like most about this hat," she spoke suddenly, as they entered a large crowd of people. "Is that when I turn it backwards and I can say some kind of suggestive, pick-up line to my husband. Something like this..." she took the hat off and turned it backwards. "Hey baby, what do you say we skip first base and have ourselves a home run?"

"I hope you don't really say that," Hunningan muttered, shaking her head once more. She looked up as an odd looking man began to approach them. He wasn't really, _physically_ odd looking, it was just the way he dressed and the look in his eyes. Kind of cold and stoic.

"Excuse me, Miss, do you have the time?" he asked, stopping just in front of her.

She stared at him for a moment before going to answer, only to have Regan interrupt her.

"Do you have the energy?" Regan smirked, giving an almost seducing like tone to her voice. Watching as the man only glanced at her before walking away into the crowd. "Oh man, I've always wanted to say that to someone!"

"What was that all about?" Hunningan asked roughly.

"Hey, you said to act different and I'm acting different," Regan replied with a shrug. "Besides, that guy was bad news anyways."

"That's what I thought as well," she nodded, before watching as the woman went to throw away her drink only to suddenly change her track to a nearby group of young guys. "Regan..." she started.

"I'm fighting the urge to make you the happiest man on earth tonight," she teased to the small group before walking back to Hunningan. "You know, this is fun. I should do this more often."

"You could be their mother," Hunningan muttered, rubbing her temples.

"Wow, thanks for reminding me," Regan grumbled.

* * *

"So..., what's it like to have your arm all mutated like that?" Steve asked, trying to find some kind of conversation to start up.

"It's okay," Krauser shrugged, rubbing his shoulder slight. Who ever wanted him to wear a black sweater in the middle of Arizona probably wanted him to die of over heating. "You get a lot of weird looks sometimes though. Like when the vein starts to noticeable throb and it kind of causes the skin to flush red. But, they try not to look too closely or else I'll notice them."

"I'm guessing you pretty much know when someone's looking at you," Steve commented.

"Oh yeah, watch this," Krauser muttered, as he ripped off half the sleeves of the sweater to reveal his massive biceps and forearms. Tossing the torn fabric away he walked ahead of the teen as the large vein, clearly visible as it almost seemed to protrude from the skin, started to pulse. A few moments later the skin flushed red, almost looking burned. Sure enough, several people who passed by stopped just behind him to look at it.

"You're right!" Steve called, jogging to keep up with the man. "Then again, they probably gave you that sweater to cover up your arms."  
"Well, I guess Umbrella will recognize me now," Krauser spoke before shrugging. "Aw well, I'd like to see them try me."

"I'll admit, you're fucking scary alone," Steve remarked. "You don't even need that arm to seem intimidating."

"Nah, pair me up with Regan and we will have a ball of a time," he commented.

* * *

Around late afternoon was when the black vans started their task of picking everyone up, which was even more of a hassle as rendezvous points were mixed up and groups ended up further away from each other than normal. The arrival at the hotel was a mixture of complaints, groans, laughter (at least for Murphy) and several awaiting suggestions.

"I need sleep," Jill mumbled, rubbing her temples as they stepped into the elevator to go to their room.

"Anyone wanna get in the pool later?" Regan asked.

"Why?" Krauser replied.

"So I can show off my All-Star body and take you around the bases," she smiled.

"Does she always do this?" Hunningan questioned, as the other group got into the twin elevator.

"You wouldn't believe it," Leon muttered.

"Who wants to see how many people we can fit in one elevator?!" Murphy called out.


	28. Oh noes

**A/N: So I've had these scenes played for a bit, but I just haven't found a place to put them. So, I figured, why not now. Anyways, I just wanna warn ya, the beginning is a bit 'suggestive'. **

Jill sighed as she collapsed on her bed, finally getting a moment to rest now. Rolling over onto her back, she watched as Chris quickly stripped off his shirt before walking into the bathroom. "Hey, if I pay you, will you strip the rest of it off?"

"Baby, I'd show you the rest of it for free," Chris teased, as he started up the faucet. Splashing a handful of water over his face.

"So, what's keeping you?" Jill asked, purring slightly as she watched him appear in the doorway. She patted the space next to her on the bed, before motioning him over with one finger. Smiling as he made the distance across the room before playfully jumping on her. She giggled and ran her hands through his hair before pulling him down in a kiss. Feeling his tongue flicker at her lips, before taking quick advantage at her gained access. Her hands ran over his finely toned chest; fingers taking in every groove and curve as the muscles flexed under her touch. He moved quickly from her mouth down to her neck, as his tongue licked at her tender flesh. Hearing her moan at the hot sensations while his fingers ran through her hair, before dropping down to slowly work away at her shirt. He had just barely managed to get her shirt halfway up her body when their door suddenly opened.

"Uh..." Rebecca started, face instantly blushed when she noticed the awkward position of the two. Her hand instantly went to cover her eyes as she closed the door back. "Ada wants to see you in her room whenever you can make it."

"Why does everyone hate us?" Jill asked, frustrated now that they had to be interrupted. Totally killed the mood.

"Might as well go see what she wants," Chris sighed, as he got up and went to retrieve his shirt.

* * *

"I never want to see that again!" Rebecca muttered, shaking her head in a bid to get rid of the images. She looked up at a pair of footsteps and watched as Edward came back down the hallway. He had only left a few minutes earlier to go relax in the pool for awhile. From the looks of it though, he didn't get anywhere near the pool. "I thought you were going swimming?" she asked.

"After seeing Regan and Krauser making out in the water...I thought better of it," Edward answered, as he headed back to his room. "You look like you saw hell though."

"I just walked in on Jill and Chris...when they were...well, you know," Rebecca mumbled, rubbing her arm slightly.

"Ew," Edward shuddered.

"Alright, lets go see what 'Mood-Killer' wants," Jill grumbled as she opened the door and stepped out. Chris followed behind her as they crossed the hallway to the room diagonal from them. "What would you like to discuss, Miss. Wong, and let's hurry it up. Me and the husband have some 'business' to attend to."

"Uh...okay," Ada stated, slightly confused by her comment but putting it away as Rebecca shook her head. She had only called Jill, Chris, Rebecca and Hunningan to her room, in order to keep the group small seeing as she just wanted to throw out a few ideas. "Anyways, I wanted to speak with you for a reason that has been bothering me for awhile now..."

"Chris! You have to come see this!" Forest called from the hallway. "There's this HUGE bug in the shower. I've never seen it before. Come on!"

"I'll be right back," Chris sighed. "We won't have any peace unless Forest gets what he wants."

"Alright, hurry back," Jill called as he left the room before turning her attention to Ada. "Just go ahead and get started, I can fill him in later."

Ada nodded and leaned up against the nearest wall. "I've been a bit...concerned, a word I use loosely, about this mission. Seeing as Umbrella is following our very tracks, we've barely had a moment to rest. The first day was bad at the start. Umbrella's good, but they're not this good. Hunningan even said that they've been tracked us ever since we started on this mission. How? That's what I want to know. How are they able to track that fast?"

"I'm guessing you're going to tell us," Rebecca replied, crossing her arms lightly. She wasn't sure if she was comfortable where this conversation was headed.

"I'll get straight to the point, the only way Umbrella could track this fast is if they had someone on the inside," Ada spoke quickly.

"Whoa, you think someone on the team is matched up with Umbrella?" Jill questioned, running each member through her head. She couldn't think of a single person who would want to betray them like that. "Who? I mean...everyone here has a purpose to hate Umbrella. No one I know of would want to go back against us."

"Really? Even if you thought long and hard about it," Ada asked.

"Don't make me think, my mind is not into thinking right now," Jill muttered, still mad at how their little 'episode' was interrupted.

Ada sighed before answering shortly. "Billy."

"I'm sick and tired of this already!" Rebecca spoke suddenly, causing everyone to jump slightly at her sudden outbreak. "You can't just go out and point fingers at someone you don't know anything about!"  
"All I'm saying..." Ada started.

"Is that he would aide Umbrella against us," Rebecca finished. "Well he wouldn't. I was with him throughout the train incident and the training facility, he's not a bad person. He hated everything Umbrella did; he saw them as cruel bastards who deserved to die. There is no reason to why he would suddenly up and join them."

"He said he had an inside contact, well what if that contact is really working against us?" Ada replied sharply.

"Because he wouldn't do that. I trust him," Rebecca countered.

"Oh and that means a lot," Ada growled.

"Like you have much to say," Rebecca shot back.

* * *

"Aw man, I am not feeling good right now," Murphy groaned, coming out from the bathroom where he had just finished a shower.

"Probably alcohol poisoning," Carlos shrugged, as he flipped through the channels on TV. He would watch a few for several minutes before instantly flipping right through it. "Hey, Telemundo's on, you wanna watch that?" he didn't hear an answer and just assumed Murphy had probably gone either back into the bathroom or fell asleep. Shrugging it off, he continued to flip through the channels before landing on a football game. _Well, nothing else is on..._ he thought, tossing the remote to the side as he watched the remainder of the third quarter. It was few minutes before he heard something hitting the ground in the bathroom. It was sudden and loud, causing him to shoot up slightly in surprise. "Murphy?" he called, getting up before peering into the bathroom. Noticing his friend passed out on the floor. "Dude, you had better just fallen asleep or something." he commented, walking over.

Kneeling down beside him, he pushed him onto his back and shook him slightly. "Dude, Murphy...this isn't funny anymore." he muttered, before noticing that his friend was no longer breathing. "Murphy?" he waved his hand in front of his face; jumping slightly as Murphy suddenly grabbed his wrist with an iron-dead grip. "Okay man...what is going on with you?" he questioned, watching as his eyes shot open now. He gasped slightly, seeing as his eyes were just a milky white color now. "Oh...shit..." in a flash, Murphy sank his teeth into his hand, splitting the flesh before tearing it away. A shot of hot pain raced up his arm as Murphy tore the small piece of flesh that webbed between his index finger and thumb. Blood dripped from the open wound, and for a moment, he just stared at it before quickly pulling himself out of the range of his friend. "What the hell has gotten into you?!" he shouted, holding his injured hand in his other to keep pressure on the wound. It hurt like hell though.

Murphy wouldn't just go all zombie for no reason.

Backing out of the room, he started for the door but stopped as a small moan echoed behind him. It sounded like he was changing back but as he turned to see, it felt as though a truck had hit him and drove him into the ground. "Damnit Murphy!" he shouted, watching those white eyes above him. Even as a zombie though, Murphy was surprisingly strong, almost completely pinning him to the ground. Before he could bite him though, Carlos managed to work his knee between them and kicked him off. He was barely on his feet before Murphy was at him once more. _He's not just any zombie anymore..._ he thought, feeling his fingers dig into his shoulders. In an attempt to throw Murphy to the ground, he was dragged down as well. Thinking quick, he pinned his undead friend to the ground, making sure he kept a tight lock on his shoulders.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Carlos almost shouted, pretty sure his undead friend wouldn't answer though. Those white eyes just continued to stare at him, almost motionless. He took this time to catch his breath, almost getting up before watching as one of his hands shot up and managed to split open one of his cheeks. "Ah! Stupid bastard!" the curses seemed to be pointed to no one, as Murphy moaned and dug his nails into Carlos's arms. Beads of blood showing up where the nail tips had cut the flesh, before racing down his arms. Long, narrow cuts carved his arms from his elbows down as the nails practically shredded off the flesh into strips. "Son of a bitch!" Carlos growled in pain and anger, watching as blood flooded down his arms.

* * *

"And what the hell is that suppose to mean?" Ada snarled.

"You have no right to be pointing fingers here," Rebecca snapped. "You worked with Umbrella yourself. Hell, you were probably Wesker's _bitch_ for the ride!"

"Excuse me!" Ada growled, stepping towards the Medic, who gave no heed of backing down from her. "Why exactly are you protecting him?"

"Because he saved my life and I would like a chance to repay him," Rebecca spat, before quickly adding. "Which is a lot more than you can say."

"Whoa!" Jill shouted, watching as the two lunged at one another. She jumped in and pulled Rebecca away around the same time Hunningan grabbed hold of Ada. "Let's try and settle this like normal people here!"

"Gone for five minutes and there's already a fight!" Chris sighed, as both he and Leon entered the room. The two had met up in the hallway for a brief moment before rushing in at the screaming. "What is going on here?"

"This 'little girl' thinks I still work for Umbrella," Ada hissed.

"It's best not to point fingers Ada, it's just three back at yourself," Rebecca countered, causing the two to fight against Jill and Hunningan's hold.

"Do something!" Hunningan shouted as Ada thrashed about in her arms. Bound to leave bruises over her body as she twisted her arms and shoulders around to try and release herself. Before anyone could stop her, Ada broke from Hunningan's hold and landed a well aimed blow to the Medic's stomach. Rebecca quickly retaliated, breaking from Jill's grasp before slamming her fist into Ada's face.

"This isn't helping," Jill muttered, standing back with Hunningan as Leon and Chris quickly went to recapture the two. She rubbed the sore spots over her arms. "It seems like all we do anymore is just fight and fight with one another."

"I'm sure it's just the stress that everyone's gone through so far," Hunningan assured, before jumping slightly at the sound of a gunshot echoing nearby. Had it not been for a slight pause in the screaming, the shot would've gone unnoticed. Everyone sort of sat around and looked around one another.

"Don't tell that's what I think it was," Jill spoke, the first to. She stepped out in the hallway and looked around. Hoping that it had been just a misfire and no one was getting attacked or anything. _Can't we even just get a day's rest!_ she thought before going to the room just two doors down. She knocked once before pushing the door open. Listening to the ending plays of the game that was blaring over the TV, she cut it off quickly before looking around. Murphy seemed passed out on the floor, blood covering his hands and mouth. "Wha-?" she started before turning to see Carlos sitting up against one of the walls. His chest practically heaving as one hand pressed against his throat. Blood ran between his fingers, but then again it was all over his arms and hands. That's when she realized it had mainly been because all the skin had been torn away. Several ribbons hung off around his wrists.

"Carlos!" she called, hurrying over to him. Kneeling down as she was confused at which wound to check first. "Are you okay?" no answer. Worried, she gently shook his shoulder before watching as his hand fell from his neck. Bite marks were barely seen under the bubble of blood flooding out. "Oh God...we need a Medic!" she called, watching as Rebecca was the first to rush in.

"Jesus! What happened?!" she asked, examining the mass amount of damage and blood loss.

"I don't know...," Jill whispered, standing now. "I just...I don't know."


	29. Night

**A/N: Well, I was hoping this chapter would answer a few questions...or just leave more. Whichever.**

The couple barely even noticed the elevator door as they practically tumbled out. Giggling and laughing as they stumbled down the hallway, not even minding who was watching them. Their hands roaming over every free piece of flesh as they kissed several times down the hallway.

"What are we going to do?" Jill whispered, rubbing her temples as she waited outside her room. "I mean, what happened?"  
"All signs say Murphy attacked him," Rebecca answered, all her anger from the arguement before now gone away.

"But why?" Jill asked, before sighing. "Murphy wouldn't just _attack_ Carlos like that."

Rebecca sighed and just shrugged before looking up as several others joined them. "What are you boys up to?"

"Some weird shit has happened today," Chris commented, crossing his arms. Joseph, Forest, Richard and Leon with him.

"Tell me something I don't know," Jill muttered.

"Anyways...we were talking about this thing earlier," Joseph started. "And we think that, maybe…something activated Murphy's cells and caused them to...react to the virus."

"You think he went zombie?" Jill asked, slightly in disbelief but the more she thought on it...the more it made sense to her. "I mean, I guess it's possible...it would explain some things. And I think Carlos mentioned earlier that some lady sprayed some perfume into Murphy's face. But, I doubt perfume would just set him off like that. I mean, he hangs around with women all day."

"It might've been more than just perfume," Forest replied.

"Don't tell me...," Jill started, only to see him nod. "Fuck!"

"Would you keep your voice down," Rebecca warned, nudging her in the side. "We're trying not to bring attention to ourselves."

"Yeah, but it just means that Umbrella has once more kicked our asses," Jill whispered. "And I'm tired of it. I swear, when we run into Wesker, I will kick him so hard in the nads...it won't be funny."

"Let's just let those two rest for the night, okay," Chris spoke. "We'll worry about it tomorrow when they wake up."

Everyone nodded and muttered something to themselves before sighing as they looked around at the empty hallway. Just about everyone else had retreated to their rooms and were getting prepared for the night. A light giggle caught their attention and the small group looked up to see Regan and Krauser coming around the corner and down the hallway. It seemed like their towels were the only thing separating the two.

"Oh, come on," Leon groaned, as the two looked up at them.

"Sorry," Regan giggled. "We were just...uh, you know, practicing CPR...on each other."

"Out of water?" Leon asked.

"It could happen, you never know," she replied, as the couple disappeared into their room.

"Everyone's having more sex than me," Jill muttered.

* * *

"Do you know what all that screaming was about earlier?" Ashley asked, laying on her stomach on one of the beds as she flipped through the channels. Five-hundred channels...and nothing to watch.

"Not really, I think someone got into a fight though," Luis answered from the closed bathroom. "I heard someone say 'bitch', so I'm guessing it wasn't too serious."

She just rolled her eyes and went back to flipping through the channels. "Just wondering." she sighed, pausing momentarily on the Discovery Channel to watch two male Lions brawl it out over mating rights...or whatever the announcer was saying. She chuckled to herself, thinking that was kind of how human dating worked too.

"What are you watching?" Luis asked, stepping out of the bathroom long enough to look at the T.V.

"I dunno," she shrugged, starting to flip through the channels again. Diverting her eyes just long enough to notice that he was only wearing a towel and still wet from the recent shower. She sighed and cut the TV off, before dropping her head into the mattress. Might as well sleep since there wasn't anything else to do. She stretched her arms out before letting her wrists fall over the edge of the bed. Not even hearing the bathroom door open once more, or minding the floor squeaking as someone walked across it.

"Surely you could've found something to watch in the 500 channels they offer," Luis spoke, laying down beside her as he took the remote from her hand and turned the T.V. back on.

She lifted her head up and looked over at him, as he seemed pretty focused on finding something to watch. Although she thought it was pretty hard to watch T.V. when he was still only wearing a towel. She glanced back to the screen as he spoke. "There's CourtTV, Discovery Channel...Lifetime, but I'm not really going to watch that, hey Cold Files is on...uh, Medical Mysteries, that sounds entertaining." then again, watching T.V. with a Scientist was pretty...odd.

"You know, it's really hard to focus on this when you're like...naked right beside me," Ashley blurted out.

"I know, it's more entertaining this way," Luis laughed as he continued to flip through the channels.

* * *

"So, you hear about what happened earlier?" Mikhail asked, returning back to his room after checking on Carlos and Murphy.

"Aside from the screaming?" Billy replied, standing out on the room balcony. It overlooked a brightly lit city below them with small shadows of people walking the sidewalks.

"Well it might've been part of it," the Russian man shrugged before walking out as well. "Apparently, from what the others reported, it seemed as though Murphy attacked Carlos in 'Zombie-mode'. No one was there, but the aftermath of the attack was pretty bloody. Carlos has a bite to the neck and his arms almost seemed skinned of flesh. Not to mention this nasty bite to his hand. And Murphy just has a gunshot wound between the eyes."

"Any explanation as to why he would just attack?" Billy questioned.

Mikhail shrugged. "None that I know of right now. Murphy's crazy, but he's not that kind of crazy. I suspect something just tipped off his virus and drove him insane. Now, as to what it was that drove him insane, I can't answer. It could've been anything, it could've been nothing. Everything's a possibility."

"I take the virus is pretty sensitive then," Billy commented.

"Yeah, for those who don't have full control over it just yet," Mikhail nodded. "Most those who were Zombies really. The T-virus strand they host is very delicate and any sort of...sense or reaction can set it off. So I can only assume that Murphy might've been hit with some kind of sense or something earlier this day. The only good thing about the virus, is that the effects don't last long and they'll be back to normal in just a few hours."

"Where as, I assume, a stronger virus would take days to get over an effect," Billy spoke.

"You're pretty good," Mikhail laughed before leaning up against the railing, looking down at the buildings surrounding them. "But of course, we may not know the specific details as to what happened to Murphy, we all know who's behind it."

"Hell, they're watching us right now," Billy replied, noting several figures below who had refused to move in the past few hours.

"I thought so," Mikhail nodded, noticing the figures as well. "They can watch all they want...there's nothing for them to get right now. We're just talking about their last scheme."

"Makes you wonder what else they're up to...," Billy muttered.

"Whatever it is, it's taking effect already," Mikhail replied. "Apparently no one heard the fighting between Carlos and Murphy, because there was a screaming match across the hallway from them. Now, this is normally a quiet group, but a screaming match is something new. They've had their arguments and fights, but none of them really escalated in volume. This fight, I'm guessing, wasn't much on the mission but more like a personal attack on one another. Now why that would occur, I can't answer. I'm just an old man."

"Sounds like something Umbrella would try to do," Billy remarked. "They've physically and mentally attacked so far, but emotionally, that's something new."

"I wouldn't say that they've found a weak spot, mainly because we're being listened on right now," Mikhail started. "But they're getting pretty damn close." he looked down as his cellphone rang before fishing it out from his vest pocket. Checking the Caller ID before giving a light laugh. "Sorry, I have to take this one. It's the wife."

* * *

"Kathy, everything's going to be okay," Barry spoke, pacing a small path around the room. He could already sense his wife's nervousness.

"How? You just said something went wrong," Kathy replied, her voice slightly shaking.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's nothing big, honey. Just a few accidents. No one's seriously injured." a little lie, but he'd rather risk that than his wife's strength on the situation. "We have everything under control over here."

She sighed as well and wrapped her free arm around herself. "I'm just...scared. Being here all by myself is one thing, I mean I have Claire and occasionally Cynthia comes over but...it's not the same." she paused for a moment as she noticed the kids in the living room playing some kind of game on the XBox. "Company is one thing, but Renny was something else. She was able to fix anything and do anything in any set time. She was a great last-minute planner and without her...it's like I have no strength anymore. She was always carefree and never worried the least bit. But, now that she's gone...I don't have much else going for me."

"I'm not going to say not to worry, because I know you will anyways," Barry started. "But just try to be calm. You remember how calm you were with Poly fell out of that tree and broke her leg. There was all that blood and you barely even seemed to notice it."

"That's different," Kathy replied. "A broke leg is the least to worry about. You've gone through all sorts of zombies, and undead creatures, mutants, human-size bugs, those 'tyrant' things..."

He chuckled lightly as her list went on and on. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Barely," she reminded. "I just...I want this mission-thing to be over. I want you home."

"I know baby. I want that just as much as you do," he sighed. "But I want to make sure that our children don't have to live in a world where another outbreak is possible by the Umbrella Corporation. I don't want them to see half the things that I have."

She sighed on the other line too. "You worry too much yourself."

"Not as much as you do."

**A/N: What is up with the way I've been starting chapters? Apparently no one can keep their hands to themselves.**


	30. Rain

**A/N: So, this chapter is short. I lost a whole bunch of time lately and I got loaded down with homework. But I won't bore you with excuses. It is short, but I haven't updated in awhile, and just wanted everyone to know I was still alive...kind of. **

Unfortunately, everyone woke up the next day to a sudden downpour of rain that was reported to be lasting all day. A few flashes of lightning would show up, followed closely by loud growls of thunder. The two combined basically ridded any chance of still exploring the town for their second day off.

"So...what else is there to do?" Jill asked, laying on her back on her bed. Her arms hanging off the side of the mattress.

"I don't know...looks like we're just stuck inside all day," Chris answered, as he walked from the bathroom and collapsed on his own bed. "All alone inside."

She smiled and turned over to one side, facing him. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Only if we're thinking of the same thing," he smiled back.

* * *

"CANNONBALL!" Forest shouted as he jumped off the diving board and curled up before hitting the surface of the water. Breaking through easily and causing a splash zone wide enough to hit several of the outside tables. Instantly soaking any of those standing too close, and had yet to jump in.

"I think you guys abuse your powers," Chris laughed, pushing away a dark bang from his face.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Joseph replied, the next to jump in. Managing to hit Forest just as the Southern man was coming up for air.

Jill laughed as she pushed aside her own strands at the second splash. Revealing her clean-cut body in a nice, light-blue two-piece. "This was a great idea, although the hotel will probably hate us for it later on. Seeing as they're losing half their water in simple jumps."

"Simple?" Chris repeated.

"Edward hasn't jumped in yet," she replied, before pushing the Alpha member in.

"I think I'll just move my chair further back," Ada commented, scooting back some as she went back to her book in hand.

"What are you reading?" Leon asked, as he walked by. A towel slung over one side as he revealed his well-built body in a pair of dark-blue swimming trunks.

"Some book they had lying around," Ada shrugged.

"Any good?" he questioned.

"Eh, I've read better things scattered about on tables," she answered.

"Yay, we're in a pool when we should really be fighting Umbrella," Richard spoke, sitting on the stairs in a pair of light-blue trunks. "Which means we're not fighting zombies, yay."

"You're way too excited," Rebecca replied, patting his shoulders as she walked by in a green two-piece. "But hey, as long as I stay out of the hands of a zombie, I'm happy too."

"You know what would be the best ability to have?" Forest asked, breaking the surface again for air. "That upward burst of speed that sharks have. How cool would it be? You think you're all safe at the water's surface and then BAM! Thirty feet in the air baby."

"I don't feel comfortable around you anymore," Richard muttered.

* * *

Mikhail silently sighed as he stepped back out into the hallway and headed back to his own room. Tossing his knife up and down as he pushed aside the door and stepped in. The others had gone down to the pool room, probably to loosen up a bit and relax the tension. He rather hated the fact they were wasting as much time as they were, but there was no point in trying to fight the weather. It was an instant lose there. As well as trying to fight the government, that was always a bad idea. And he knew people, as well as personal experience, that showed it was not always the best.

"He still out there?" he asked, catching his knife once more before slipping it back into its holster.

"Pretty much," Billy nodded, standing in the open doorway of the balcony area. The dark figure who had been standing just outside the hotel earlier was still there, as though he had never moved throughout the night. Even despite the rain, he stayed completely still. "Gotta admire his determination though."

"I'm beginning to wonder if he's even human," Mikhail replied, peering out the doorway to the man below. Shaking his head, he stepped back and just shrugged. "I don't know what he's looking for, but there's not going to be much at the moment."

"Observations, vulnerability, who knows," Billy shrugged. "He hasn't moved, so there must be something he's getting from this."

"Well, if he's been listening to us then he should know by now how much of a dumb ass he looks like," Mikhail chuckled. "I'm gonna go back and check on Carlos and Murphy again." he stepped back and started back out into the hallway. Since the others had decided to head down to the pool hall, he decided it would be best to keep an eye on his two wounded teammates. So far, neither of them showed many signs of waking yet. Carlos still passed out either from the sheer shock of the events, or the blood loss. Murphy probably from his virus trying to get itself. Either way, they were bound to wake up sooner or later, and then they could finally figure out what happened between the two. Although the need for a hospital visit did play around on their minds, it was instantly shot down with the knowledge that Umbrella could've been anywhere within the open building. If there was anything they knew about Umbrella, it was the fact that the company knew how to fit in so perfectly with its surroundings, no one even knew they were there. But years of experience lead them to be able to pick out any suspicious behavior faster than lightning.

Billy watched as the man continued to stand just outside. Seemingly ignoring the hard poundings of the rain. The man never moved. Not even once. _What exactly is he up to?_ he thought, before hearing a sharp crack that could've been mistaken as a growl of thunder. Instead, the man who had stood in the same place for the last few hours, suddenly fell over to the ground. "What?" he watched as a second figure come out of nowhere and looked down at the body before shifting his gaze back to him. There might've been a nod motion before the new figure simply took the body and drug it away.

"Has our friend done anything new?" Mikhail asked as he entered the room again.

"Yeah, it's this nifty trick," Billy replied. "I didn't think he could pull it off, but it's called 'Get shot in the head by some unknown assailant.'"

* * *

"Ever get the feeling that it seems like we're just wasting a whole lot of time?" Barry asked, as he cued up the pool balls for another game.

"You want a serious answer or are you just asking questions?" Brad replied, swinging the pool stick slightly at his side. He watched as the older man just shrugged and grabbed the cue ball from one of the corner pockets. "We are technically wasting time, but it's more like we're keeping Umbrella waiting. Although they're probably expecting us, they can't entirely be sure when we're going to come and where exactly we're coming in from. The good is, it's letting us relax a bit and prepare ourselves for what's ahead. The bad is, it's letting Umbrella do just the same. They could be doubling the size and numbers of their creatures. The number of their troops and spies. While we just sit around...and play pool."

Barry chuckled lightly before landing a solid hit to the pool balls. Watching as the multiple range of colors shot off in all directions, bouncing off the walls and a few even going into the pockets. "Well, at least we're relaxed, right? This will probably be one of the few times we can. After the whole motel and supermarket thing, it's nice to finally get some rest."

"Hey guys," the two looked up as Kenneth walked over, phone in one hand. "Forest just text me, said they were going to head back up to the rooms to change. Said they might be going out to get some lunch or something."

"I'll probably just stay here," Brad shrugged, as he scanned the pool table for the perfect angle. "I'd rather skip the chaos they're likely to bring to public."

"I think I'll do the same," Barry nodded.

"Great, that means I won't be alone," Kenneth chuckled, as he went back to texting Forest a reply. "Looks like I'll just have to tell him the only black guy isn't going."

"He'll be so heartbroken." Barry replied sarcastically.


	31. New Plan

**A/N: Le gasp! Well it's only been three months since I last updated, not too bad (actually it is). Anyways, sorry to keep everyone waiting, I've just been falling in and out of writing for awhile. Not to mention I've got a few new games (Half Life 2, Gears of War 2, etc.) to play and I just kind of forgot. But I did my best to at least put up one more chapter so no one thinks I'm dead yet. Sorry for the sudden scene change, I decided the story was lagging too much and was getting really boring and off-topic. So hopefully it'll get better now. (hopefully)**

Jill chewed on her lower lip as she stared out of the round, plastic window. Their plans had changed drastically. It felt as though they were wasting too much time goofing off, when they should be focused on the mission. Get in, destroy Umbrella and get out. But at the moment it was none of that. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, hoping that the short flight ahead of them would normal. But that was highly doubted. She glanced over at the sleeping figure beside her. While hospital help was denied, that didn't mean they couldn't try some kind of medical technique. Rebecca did her best to stitch up Carlos' arms, closing most of the wounds by stitching them to the largest piece of skin available. His hand and neck were wrapped tightly in gauze, hoping that the skin would heal itself from there. As for Murphy, well...he decided it would be best to get some alone time and sit on the other side of the plane for awhile.

"Hey," she looked up at the voice as Chris knelt beside her seat. "You doing okay?"

She rubbed her temples but nodded all the same. "Yeah. Just...can you tell me the plan again?"

"Instead of making so many diversions, we'll be heading straight to Nevada, where their HQ is located," Chris answered, keeping his voice low for just the two of them. "Umbrella will try to stop us along the way, but Mikhail said that we'll more likely handle ourselves during each attack. Now that things are hitting closer to home, they won't be willing to deal with the bodies. It shouldn't be that hard to find, but we'll still take extreme precaution with it. Whoever this 'insider guy' Billy knows, he apparently knows a way inside the building we can use without getting detected for some time. So we can buy a few hours there."

"Is everything set up? I mean from here to there." Jill asked.

"Should be," he nodded. "Barry and Brad dealt with all the requirements we'll need for the trip. Car rentals, hotels, everything."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I felt fine about this till the whole Carlos-Murphy thing happened."

"I know what you mean," he replied.

"I mean...it obviously had something to do with his virus. Well, what if that same thing happened to everyone else?" she whispered, turning her head to face him. "Honestly. We would get pulverized by them. Wouldn't even stand a chance." she paused for a moment and tapped her nails against the plastic arm rests. "Something out there...something is unnerving their viruses. And we all know Umbrella is behind this whole thing. So, what if they release some kind of toxin? Something that will purposely unleash their undead nature. What do we do then?" she sighed and whispered her next part. "I've drawn my gun on my comrades far too many times."

"Hey, things are going to be okay," Chris assured, placing his hand on her arm as he stood. "Now this isn't the Jill Valentine I know so well and married. You're stronger than this. Come on, where's that smirk of yours that says 'Hey World, I'm alive and here to kick your ass'."

She couldn't help but to chuckle at the remark. "I needed that."

"Good, then maybe you'll get your head into this and stop worrying."

* * *

Several hours landed them in Nevada's largest airport, located comfortably in the capital of the state. Large crowds of people were rushing in and out of the place, making their job of blending in a whole lot easier. They gained several odd looks on their way out of the building. Whether it was because they were such a large crowd themselves, or the fact that none of them talked, or even laughed. They remained stoic-faced as they wheeled their luggage out into the parking lot.

"So...any idea on where this base is exactly?" Ada asked as she slid her bag into the truck of a black Saturn. Her sunglasses balanced at the tip of her nose, as her dark eyes looked up to see if anyone was going to step forward to answer. She just wanted to make sure that they didn't leave on heat box just to enter another.

"Yes, but it will be much easier to explain it with a map," Mikhail replied, closing the back of another vehicle. "When we reach our hotel, I'll give you as much detail as I can...but I'm not promising there will be much that you will like."

"That's never good," Chris muttered, as he walked by tossing a set of keys from hand to hand.

"Alright, let's just hurry up and get there," Jill spoke. "I would like to know now, just in case any changes have to occur. Best to do it now than two hours before deployment."

"I have a question," Forest started, trotting over to catch Jill and Chris before they got into their car. "When are we going to figure out what happened to Murphy?"

"I don't know, whenever we figure out what exactly happened," Chris shrugged. "I mean, aside from Murphy attacking him like a zombie. Something had to provoke that. These are the details that would be great to know...but seeing as neither of them are going to talk, it'll be awhile."

"I just want to make sure no one else runs into anything like that," Forest sighed, running a hand through his long hair. "Because I'll be honest, if I went all zombie...you guys would be so sccreewed."

"Don't we know it," Jill chuckled, as she climbed into the passenger seat. "Now let's get going before something else happens."

The ride around the city proved that the place was well populated, despite its environment. Plenty of shops were displaying anything from clothing to electronically-powered devices, all at so-called 'reasonable prices and values'. But they weren't here for the shopping, although some of them wished so; it was all business. The hotel was located just in the center of it all, with shops and stores spreading out on all sides. There were several pools outside, with an iron gate protecting them from outside wanderers. The whole place seemed pretty secure, and safe, which was a need for them. It didn't look like the kind of place Umbrella would attack but...then again, they never knew. Checking in was the easiest part, but getting to the top floors with their number of people and luggage, was another story.

"So, let's go over this new plan," Ada said, as soon as everyone got to their room. "We don't have any more time to spare, due to that unfortunate back up earlier."

"Alright, alright, gather around," Mikhail sighed as he pulled out a map from his vest pocket. He looked up as everyone gathered as close as they could in the small room. Spreading the map out on a nearby table, he weighed down the corners before looking up to speak. "This, is the map of the Red Rock Canyon. Now it's taken us awhile to plot out the different points but we managed that there's security outpost, here." he pointed to a red circle on the map, in the upper right hand corner, "Here." another on the left side. "And two more in this region." there was a large red circle spanning several inches over the map length. "Now, we're not sure of the exact location but the main base has to be in this region somewhere. Somewhere in the middle of all these stations."

"Well...how much does that one region cover?" Jill asked.

"Close to 17 miles," Mikhail answered.

"That's not good," Chris muttered.

"Yes, but a few more calls may put the main point in a more specific location," Mikhail shrugged. "That is, if those calls get through."

"What calls?" Ada asked.

"Nothing to worry of right now," Mikhail replied quickly. "What we should be preparing for is the mission ahead of us. It'll take us about two hours to get to this location, that is, if Umbrella hasn't set up any more traps out in the sand pits."

"So, we're walking out there blind?" Ada repeated.

Mikhail sighed, and fixed his beret. "We'll have the answers later. By morning, the coordinates will be here and this map will be filled."

"Until then, I guess we'll just go rest," Jill commented, stepping away from the table as she crossed her arms. "I want to go over inventory one last. Just to make sure everything is in place and that we won't get screwed over tomorrow."

"I...am going to the pool," Richard announced, as the group began to scatter out to their own rooms.

"Why?" Rebecca asked, tossing her jacket onto one of the beds as she headed into the bathroom to start up a bath.

"Because, I feel like getting chlorine in my eyes," Richard joked, as he opened his suitcase to look for his swimming trunks. "I don't know, I just think it would help relax me."

"You know, for a man who's afraid of water, you sure do like to swim," Rebecca replied, as she searched in her own suitcase to look for an extra pair of shorts.

"As long as it's not the ocean and is free of any kind of mutated wildlife, it's all good," he remarked, pulling out his green shorts. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I have to get naked."

* * *

"Oh man, this is gonna suck," Carlos grimaced as he started to peel off the layers of gauze from his left arm. He had accidentally hit it when he was coming through his room door, causing immediate pain and bleeding. He winced as the layers began to turn red and soggy before pulling off the final layer. It looked like one or two stitches had ripped from the impact with the door frame and knob. The skin was splitting open again with small trickles of blood slipping out. "Nasty." he muttered, watching as blood drops fell into the sink. Grabbing a nearby hanging towel, he kept it against the one area before moving back into the room to get his medical bag. There would be some spare gauze in there.

Picking up the black back, he shuffled through some loose clothing before pulling out the small medical kit. Just as he put it down, he noticed that the jacket he had worn as 'undercover' was still in his bag. Weren't they suppose to return those to Hunningan? Picking it up, he instantly got a hint of perfume from it. Coughing slightly, he tossed it to the floor before heading back into the bathroom with his kit. Stupid perfume from that crazy perfume-lady. He chuckled slightly remembering how she sprayed like half the bottle into Murphy's face...that was pretty funny.

He paused through mid wrapping his arm, dropping the rest of the roll into the sink. That had to it. Turning quickly he rushed out of his entire room and into the hallway, looking both ways before turning left. He didn't know where Murphy was at the moment, but he had to be close, right?

"Carlos?" he looked up as Jill came out of her own room. "I thought you were resting. And what happened to your arm?"

"Not right now, where's Murphy?" he asked.

"At the snack machine on the second floor, but-" she answered.

"Thanks," he replied before taking off down the hallway. The elevator would be at the end of the hallway...screw it the stairs were quicker. He didn't know how many flights he ran through, but it felt like it would never end till the large painted number '2' appeared. Pushing the door aside, he headed where the arrows were pointing before coming to the small corner. Sure enough, Murphy was making his way back with a red packet it one hand. "Murphy!"

Instantly the red bag went into the air, with Skittles flying in all directions as Murphy seemed to get into a defensive position with both arms covering his face. "Don't kill me!"

"What the..? Why the hell…? Forget it, look I have to ask you something," Carlos spoke, grabbing his friend by the shoulders. "Do you remember when we had to go undercover for the government to get Umbrella off our backs for awhile?"

"Yeah, that was like a day or so ago," Murphy nodded.

"Remember that lady who sprayed you in the face with perfume?" he continued.

"She was such a bitch-"

"What if that wasn't perfume, but some kind of pheromone or something that would set off the virus cells?" Carlos remarked, watching as his friend seemed to think it over. His face creasing in concentration, as if he really was thinking it over.

"By Gods..." he whispered. "That would totally explain it."

"Exactly, which means Umbrella has some kind of gas that will set off the virus or parasite, or whatever else is living inside of everyone," Carlos nodded. "Which means we will be in some deep shit if any more of that stuff gets inhaled."

"We gotta tell everyone else," Murphy replied.

"Bet your ass we do," Carlos agreed. "Come on, we'll go now."

"Wait, you promise you won't like stab me in my sleep or anything, right?" Murphy called, as the two headed towards the elevators this time. "I mean, I can understand a punch or something, but don't like cut me open man. Here, you can have one free hit."

"Murphy, shut up."

(A/N: Oh man, has anyone seen the new videos for RE5?! I just saw one the other day and it had clips of Wesker in it. I'm so excited! Why can't it be March 2009 right now!))


	32. Ten minutes

**A/N: I think it was due time for another chapter. I think the next few chapters will come a bit quicker, because I have them planned (slightly) now so hopefully I'll be able to get them worked out. Don't want to promise anything yet. **

"Hey, has anyone seen Carlos?" Rebecca asked, stepping out of her room for a moment. A towel in hand as she patted her hair of loose water. "I was going to check on his arms when I was done with my bath."

"He went hauling ass downstairs," Jill answered, leaning against the doorframe to Barry's room as she waited for the old man to answer. "I think he went off to find Murphy...I don't know, looked like he was in some kind of hurry."

"That's odd," she whispered, before shrugging it off. "He probably just went to get a snack or something."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Jill nodded, before looking back as Barry's door opened. "Hey, I was wondering if you could get Brad to look up a satellite picture of Red Rock Canyon for me. I want to at least get a good look of the surroundings before we head in tomorrow. I might be able to get us a quick route through it when Mikhail gets the coordinate points done."

"Sure thing, I'll tell him when he gets back," Barry replied. "I think he went out on a walk or something."

"Well, if he's out on a walk, then I might be able to just catch him myself," Jill muttered, before shaking her head. "Well, thanks anyways Barry." she turned to go just as the elevator dinged at the end of the hallway. She paused for a moment to see who it was, hoping maybe it would've been Brad to save herself the trip. Instead, she watched as Carlos and Murphy stepped out of the small room instead. It was a bit odd, seeing as Carlos practically refused to be in the same room with Murphy much anymore. "Carlos! Where have you been?"

"Downstairs," he answered, before jogging over. "Listen, we were talking and I think we might've figured out what happened."

"Go on," she nodded, interested at this point.

"Cut to the chase, remember when we had to go undercover? Of course you do," Murphy replied, cutting through her answers. "Well there was this lady who sprayed perfume at us and hit me in the face, stupid bitch. Anyways, we think there might've been something in that perfume, because she disappeared right after the incident."

Jill thought it over for a moment. "You know, Forest brought that same thing up and I think you guys might be on to something. But if Umbrella made some kind of pheromone that drives your insane...that means they would've made it in bulk."

"Which means, we're screwed if it happens again to a larger crowd," Carlos finished. "I kind of think that Murphy was just a test subject for it. For them to check and see if it worked first and then to make more of it. They're turning this into biological warfare."

"Which is what it was the first time but now...it's worst," Jill whispered, before rubbing her temples. "My God...they're trying to use our own teammates against us. Just like before."

"Only now, we're slightly worst," Murphy reminded.

"Alright...look we'll bring this matter up tomorrow, in the morning," she spoke, moving her hands to her hips. "I'd rather not worry everyone with it now, seeing as they'll need as much rest as they can get tonight. This means we'll have to take extra precaution while going inside the base tomorrow. This mission is getting harder and harder to complete, but I'm not turning it down. We've come too far to turn back now. Why don't you two just go back to your rooms and get some rest, especially you Carlos. Murphy help him wrap his arm back up, I'm surprised no one's called 911 on you yet. I need to go find Brad. You two stay out of trouble."

Carlos watched as Jill brushed past them and headed back towards the elevator. "Why is it she starts off concerned about the mission and then ends the whole thing by acting like our mother?"

"Probably because we'll do something stupid in the next ten minutes," Murphy replied.

* * *

Richard sighed as he pulled himself out of the pool. Stretching, he shook off what water he could before walking over to where he slung his towel over a chair. Snatching it from its place, he dried off what he could before wrapping it around his waist. It was nice to go for a little dip just before their big day tomorrow. At least his body would be relaxed and at ease before all the action started once again. He started heading towards the hotel doors before pausing as something sounded off to his right. He waited several moments and studied the direction it came from before shrugging it off.

"Must be some kind of stray animal." he told himself, just as he walked through the small iron gates surrounding the pool grounds. The sharp crack that came from the gates locking back together quickly hid a well-placed shot. He paused at the second sound, trying to figure out what exactly it was. "Well that's odd...what was-" he started before noticing the blood trailing down from his side. Turning around, he watched as a dark-clad figure leaped over the gate in a single jump. The light from the outdoor lights reflected off the barrel of the gun in hand. Another bullet planted itself into his chest, knocking him back some. Without another thought, he turned and raced back into the hotel. Making it through the front doors before the man could fire off a third round. He didn't think much of running through the front lobby with blood gushing down his chest, nor cutting through the hallways and boarding the nearest elevator. Luckily he was the only one in it.

"Oh man..." he whispered, catching his breath. "Couldn't they just wait till tomorrow when we overrun their base? No, they gotta attack when we're in the stupid pool." he applied some pressure against the two shots, trying to ease down the bleeding. Pulling away one of his hands he watched as a small, what looked like a piece metal, came out with the blood. "The hell?" picking it out of the liquid, he covered the wound with his towel and examined it further. It looked like a computer chip. He didn't know much about computers, but it looked like something from a GPS. It took him a moment, and by the time the elevator doors opened it came to him.

It was the kind of chip used in tracking devices.

"Oh God...Rebecca!" he shouted, taking off into the hallway once more. Leaving his towel on the floor in the process. He slid slightly in an attempt to make it to their door before pushing through it. "Rebecca. I just found a tracking device chip in my blood. Do you know what this means?"

Rebecca jumped slightly as the door was practically kicked open before Richard went off on his questions. "How did you find it in your blood?"

"You're missing the point here Rebecca. This is how they've been able to follow us and get all of our moves," Richard continued. "They planted tracking devices in us. Maybe it had been as a safety measure at first but now they're using us to their own advantage. This is how they've been getting you guys hurt...because of us."

"Richard, honey, you need to calm down," Rebecca assured, getting up from the bed as she slowly approached him. It had only taken her a few moments before she noticed the bullet wounds. "I thought you were just going down for a swim?'

"Are you even listening to me?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I heard the whole thing," she nodded. "Now can you tell me how you got shot somewhere in the span of half an hour?"

"Oh, some guy jumped out of the bushes," he answered, looking down at the blood trails rolling down his body.

"Ew! Whose bloody towel is this out in the hallway?!" Forest shouted from outside.

"We need to tell everyone about this," Richard pressed.

"In the morning," Rebecca replied, gently tending to his wounds. "Half the team is already asleep and they need their rest."

"First thing in the morning, then?" he sighed.

"I promise," she nodded. "Until then, I need to find a way to keep you in my sights because I can't leave you alone for more than ten minutes without something happening."

* * *

"And that's about all we've been up to," Chris spoke, standing out on his balcony. Below him was the hotel's display of wild desert flowers that flourished all over the place. "Well up to this point anyways."

"Sounds exciting," Claire remarked sarcastically from the other line. "Battling pool demons and the crooked pool tables, I'm sure you guys are getting quite a work out."

"Hey it's not easy doing this job," he chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "How's everything over there anyways? Things doing good?"

"About as good as they're going to get," she replied. "Kathy's been busy handling stuff around here, and I help about as much as I can, but you know me. Not that good at the whole 'household' thing, so I just take the kids off her hands every now and then. Sherry and Lisa are easy to care for, its the younger ones that get me. I'm having to haul ass in every direction to catch them."

"Must be fun in your condition," Chris commented.

"Hey, I'm not that big," Claire responded. "Actually, I'm not big at all. I'm still perfectly fit to kick your ass."

"Don't over exhaust yourself," he teased. "Just promise me you'll be careful, alright?"

"Me? You're telling me that?" she repeated. "Only if you don't go off trying to be a hero."

"You drive a hard bargain," he started. "But, I will see to it to try and shake off any damsel in distress."

"Sometimes I think you were born in the wrong century."


	33. Home Front

**A/N: Has anyone played the RE5 demo yet? That thing is a beast! Okay, back to the story, I finally have a chapter updated again. Yay. I should have another up sometime soon, I hope so anyways. **

Claire sighed as she set the phone down before settling her chin in her hand. It sounded like they were having fun over there. Then again, the day before handing Umbrella's ass to them, what couldn't be fun about that? And she couldn't be there. "Man, I'm gonna kill Steve." she muttered.

"Claire," she looked up as Kathy stepped into the living room for a moment. "Can you do me a quick favor? I started dinner and I didn't check to see if I had enough pepper or chili powder. And of course, I don't, so could you run by the store for me real quick?"

"Sure thing," Claire nodded, as she got up from the couch and stretched for a moment. "I need to get around to repaying you for letting me stay in your house anyways."

"Oh it's fine," Kathy chuckled, wiping her hands on her apron. "You help with the kids and that's enough."

"Well just give me a minute to get my keys and jacket," Claire replied as she walked around the couch and headed towards the front of the house where she had dropped her things earlier. "Just pepper and chili powder right?"

"Get some milk and bread too," Kathy added. "Then that should be it."

"Well, if you think of anything else just call me," she commented, slipping on her denim jacket before grabbing her keys from the dish. "Or text me if you've gotten that far into technology."

"Get out of here!"

Claire laughed as she skidded out of the house and trotted over to her own Ford truck, which she just bothered bringing over. Really it was Chris' old truck, which he gave to her when him and Jill downsized to their own Explorer. The thing looked like a piece of crap but it ran like a beauty. Jumping in, she cranked up the engine and felt the whole vehicle rumble with power. "Alright pepper, chili powder, milk, bread and some chocolate just to top it off."

Kathy watched as the large truck pulled sharply out of the driveway before taking off down the road. Sighing, she turned and headed back towards the kitchen. The oven clock lit up the numbers 1:34 pm. The kids would be home in a few hours, so she would have some downtime to herself. Stretching, she checked her pot of chili before switching the stove top to low. "Might as well get some cleaning done then." with that, she headed back out of the kitchen and up the staircase just outside.

The lone room on the right was her own room. Well _their _room when Barry wasn't off on those crazy missions. Her fingertips slid along the surface of the old-fashioned dresser they got when they first moved in together. It was their first piece of furniture they had ever bought. She paused when she came to a group of framed photographs that cluttered one edge of the dresser. The photos ranged from their wedding day, to the birth of their children, their first birthdays and holidays, everything. Sighing, she took their wedding photo and studied it carefully. They were both so young and happy...would they ever be like that again? It seemed like it was all about zombies and Umbrella and death. She couldn't remember the last time anything happy had happened.

A light jump of her stature left the photo tumbling towards the ground. However, her mind ignored that for a moment and instead turned back towards the sound that caused it all in the first place. It sounded like something breaking downstairs. She half thought it was the local neighborhood kids playing ball again...but they haven't done that in weeks. Curious, she slowly headed out of her bedroom and back down the hallway. Peering down the staircase, she noted that everything seemed normal. There wasn't any broken glass or anything else. However, it wouldn't hurt for her just to look around for a bit longer just to make sure. She moved back down the stairs and checked the front door. Still closed. "That's odd..." she whispered before returning back through the kitchen. "This house must just be getting old."

"No ma'am, it's just you."

* * *

"Okay...so...they don't just have simple chili powder anymore," Claire whispered as she continued to stare at the spice area of the grocery store. She had searched the thing at least three times already, only to find a variety of just chili powder. "What the hell do you do with chili powder aside from making chili?" shrugging it off, she just grabbed a bottle and threw it into the buggy with the pepper bottle. "Now for the milk, which should be easy to find."

Pulling out of the aisle, she headed down towards the Dairy department. Her eyes studied every face she passed by, surprised by some that stared right back at her. It was those ones she tried to avoid. They were always the serial killers, the stalkers, and the creeps. "And maybe Umbrella comes here for their every day grocery needs," she humored herself, as she picked up a jug of milk and set it up front. "Alright, bread and that'll be it."

"Claire!" she looked up at the call and smiled as Cynthia came over with a small basket of groceries.

"Girl, you live by yourself, how many groceries do you honestly need?" Claire laughed.

"Hey, I'm just stocking up on things for when Carlos gets back," Cynthia grinned, as she set a hand on her hip.

"I don't even want to know the meaning behind that sentence," Claire replied, watching as another man walked by with a buggy. "I swear, I've seen that guy at least five times already."

"Maybe he's stalking you," Cynthia suggested.

"Only a creep would find a pregnant woman attractive." she laughed.

"Hey, you never know," Cynthia shrugged. "Maybe he wants your baby."

"Well he can't have my mutant baby," Claire defended before checking her watch. "I should probably finish up my shopping and head back before the kids get home. Lord knows they're a handful for Kathy, especially the small ones. They're the hardest to catch."

"I'll just hang around with you for awhile then," Cynthia replied, with another shrug. "I don't have much else to do here...or anywhere else for that matter."

"You're welcome to come hang out with us and the kids," Claire teased as she headed towards the bakery area.

"Uh, I'm not the best with kids."

"You'll get use to them."

The intercom crackled as a voice came overhead. "Would the owner of a red Ford truck please come to the front of the store? There's someone messing with your vehicle."

"Are you serious?" Claire groaned. "This is not my day."

"Why would someone mess with your car?" Cynthia questioned. "I mean, it's a piece of crap."

"Yeah, I know but apparently someone wants..." Claire started before stopping. No one would pick on a car that looked like a piece of crap. Most people go after the expensive cars....unless they're going after the driver. "Uh, Cynthia can you go see what happened to my car? I have to visit the girl's room."

"Sure thing," the Latino woman nodded. "What about your groceries?"

"I don't need them," Claire answered, before hurrying towards the back of the store. Trying not to look from the obvious, she ducked past aisles and slid into the one of the back rooms of the stores. The bathrooms were located in one of the dirty back hallways, where a pair of swinging doors hung a sign that read 'Employee Only'. She paused for a moment before moving inside the ladies bathroom, which had an overpowering smell of old cleaning products. She quickly locked herself in one of the stalls and leaned back against the door. "Okay, okay...well obviously someone's here to get me and I know who that obviously would be. But why now?" she thought for a moment before hitting herself in the forehead. "Because Chris and them will be hitting Umbrella by tomorrow so they're trying to buy time...and by attacking at home, they're hoping they'll turn around and come back. God damn it!" she cursed loudly before kicking the stall wall, causing it to tremble violently on its weak bolts. "I gotta get home before they do. Gotta get to Kathy." pushing the door open, she ran out of her stall before stopping at the sight of a black-clad man blocking the doorway. "Uh, I don't know if you saw that sign, but this is the Ladies room."

"Miss. Redfield," the man started as he reached for something at his belt. "You have been a thorn in our sides for some time now on the home front. We've taken care of one house wife, and now its time to take care of the rest."

"I don't know who you're calling a housewife," Claire started, before noticing the light-reflecting off the blade of a knife. "And even if I couldn't go to the full-blown mission, I can still kick Umbrella's ass right at home." she dodged back as the man came at her in a full-swing. Split-moment thinking, she slammed her foot hard into his stomach and knocked him back against the door. Causing it to open up behind him, and drop him straight to the floor. She ran forward, and kicked the knife out of his hand before looking for another weapon of opportunity. By the time the man got up, she had one.

There was a hollow 'thud' as she brought the fire extinguisher on top of his head and knocked him back to the ground. That should set him down for awhile now. She set the extinguisher aside and took a deep breath before remembering what the man said. "Oh God, I gotta get Kathy." she couldn't go out the front though. Turning, she pushed through the 'Employee Only' doors and disappeared into the maze of storage cabinets and forklifts. As long as she didn't get caught, she could make it to the back doors and into the loading area. She searched through her jacket pocket, before pulling out her cellphone. She speed-dialed number six and held her breath as she continued on through the back storage.

"Claire? Why are you calling me if you're in the ladies room?" Cynthia spoke.

"I'm not anymore," she replied. "Look, get your car and pick me up out by the loading area, alright?"

"What? Why?"

"I don't have time to explain," Claire remarked, sighing in relief as she found the back door. She pushed it open with caution before peering out into the empty lot out back. "My car's rigged out front, and I need to get home to Kathy before the kids get home."

"What's wrong?" Cynthia asked. "I'm coming for you right now, just let me know what's going on."

"In the car, Cynthia. In the car." Claire assured, keeping by the door as she waited till a bright-red Mustang pulled on around the nearby corner. "Oh and here I was wishing for some easy cover-up." she muttered with a shake of her head before getting into the vehicle. "I need you to get back to Kathy's house."

"I got it," Cynthia nodded, before racing out of the back lot. "So, what's going on anyways?"

"Umbrella's on the move again," Claire answered, brushing a hand through her ponytail. "Chris and the teams are moving in on their bases tomorrow, and they're trying to buy some time by attacking us at the home front. They're hoping it'll cause the main attack to turn back around and come rushing home."

"Will it?"

"Depends on what we find."

* * *

"You people just don't see, we're like every other company in this great country of ours," the man spoke, as he ran his gloved hand back and forth across a knife. "We strive to help the people, not destroy them."

Kathy laughed bitterly, blood falling from her lips in the process. "If that statement had any more amount of bullshit in it, it could grow a garden the goddamn size of Russia." she worked her wrists around in the tight grip that the other two men were holding her in.

"You honestly don't realize we're doing more good than bad, then?" the man questioned, as he stood in front of her.

"How can you even try and cover the deaths of Raccoon City like that?!" she replied, getting in his face. "You have destroyed lives, cities, people, families, friends, everything you've touched, you've destroyed. It's people like you that give me reason that yeah, there is a Hell and yeah, people like you are going to be in it. There's never been a damn thing that you've given that was good. Hell, your ads on TV weren't even that good."

The man chuckled lightly before putting the tip of the knife at her cheek. "You know, it's the people who don't think about what they say that piss me off."

"Really? Because it's people like you who piss me off," she remarked. "The thick-skulled morons who insist they're doing the world a favor. You know, Hitler thought the same thing."

He drug the tip across her cheek, leaving behind a long, bloodied cut. "You are not doing yourself any favors."

"What's it matter?" Kathy whispered, before spitting a wad of blood into his face. "You'll kill me anyways...just like you did with Renny. Just like you did with every other person you've killed."

"Mrs. Burton, you are a beautiful woman..." he sighed. "It's a shame your husband won't see you like that again."

"You sir...can go screw yourself," Kathy responded.

He spun the knife in hand before sinking it deep into her stomach. "You know, the worst part about getting stabbed isn't when the knife goes it, but when it comes out." he ripped it free, getting a light gasp in response before stabbing it back in. He watched as blood fell from her lips before she slowly fell limp in the arms of his men.

"Now what sir?" one of the men asked.

"Now we wait for the children and Miss. Redfield to return," he answered, wiping the blood off on his vest. "And we toss her into the garage."


	34. Home Front II

**A/N: Finally been able to get these past chapters off my mind and into the story. **

"Well, at least they live close to the school," Lisa assured, as she shouldered her bag to one side.

"I'm just saying...walking sucks," Sherry laughed, as she watched Lucy skip ahead and play on an old sidewalk drawing. Moira and Polly trailed behind them but dashed ahead when the house came in sight. "About time, I was thinking we were walking forever."

"It wasn't that bad," Lisa replied, hitting her friend in the back before the duo followed after the smaller kids.

"Mom! We're home!" Moira shouted as she pushed open the door and ran in. Polly was soon after her with Lucy on her own trail.

Sherry stretched as she walked through the doorway and placed her bag behind the nearest table. "Alright, something smells good. Smells like chili. I hope we're having that for dinner."

"No, she's just making it for tomorrow," Lisa replied sarcastically, as she passed by and went into the kitchen. "Where is Kathy anyways?"

"Maybe she went to the store," Sherry shrugged, following her.

"Claire's truck is gone too though," Lisa answered. "They usually leave one person in the house."

"Maybe she's just upstairs taking a nap," Sherry spoke, as she grabbed a glass from the cabinet. "And would you not shoot down every idea I have."

Lisa laughed at her blonde-haired friend before going into the living room where the other three had gone. "Alright guys, how about a movie or a game to pass the time?" she walked over to the entertainment center before noticing one of the doors were hanging loose on the hinges. "Those weren't there yesterday..." she whispered, before noticing a smear on the TV screen. She touched at it before pulling away with her fingertips red. "Sherry, come in here."

"Can't hook up the VCR?" Sherry called as she walked in with a cup of Coke.

"This is blood," Lisa whispered, before turning back to her friend. "What's blood doing on the TV?"

"You're like your own little detective there, aren't you?" the two turned back to see three men clad in tactical wear with large Umbrella signs on the front of their vests. "You're smart girls, I can see why Wesker has asked that you be brought back alive."

"That didn't work the first time," Lisa reminded.

"We took the wrong approach that time," he replied, stroking his chin. "You see, but now that we've taken out both your little 'housewives' and that Redfield girl, there shouldn't be much of a problem now."

"Claire?" Sherry whispered.

"What happened to Kathy?" Lisa questioned.

"Oh she's...well taken care of," the man chuckled.

* * *

"What's going to happen if we don't get there in time?" Cynthia asked, hands tight on the steering wheel.

"They'll kill them," Claire answered. "No doubt about it."

"Even the kids?"

Claire sighed and put her hands to her head. "No, they'll want to keep Sherry and Lisa alive. Sherry is still Birkin's daughter, no matter what and Lisa...well she's the basis of his experiments. Lisa still has the mutations of the G-virus inside of her, but further experiments may give them something stronger. And Sherry, well she's got the perfect blood type that Birkin would want for any kind of experiment. See, this isn't some kind of mindless killing, they know what they want and they know how to get it."

"What if...what if we don't get there in time and it's already too late?" Cynthia questioned.

"Then I'll have to phone Chris and give them the bad news," Claire replied. "Umbrella will win because they'll turn back. Barry's wife and kids, Leon and Ada's adopted child, Forest's adopted kid, Regan and Krauser's daughter...it's enough to make them turn back."

* * *

"What happened to mommy?" Polly asked, huddled behind Sherry and Lisa with Moira and Lucy.

"Mommy got in the way," the man spoke. "Don't worry though, if everything goes nicely, you'll die a quick death."

"I don't think so," Lisa replied sharply.

"And who, might I add, is going to stop us?" the man asked. "Delta, Jun, get the useless ones."

"Okay, now we need a plan," Sherry muttered, watching as the two men stepped forward. "Words haven't done much so far."

There was a scraping sound before the man, Delta, screamed and fell forward as blood splattered across the nearest wall. The other two men turned at the source, before the second man, Jun, was knocked back against the same wall. An axe in his chest kept him there before it was pulled free.

"Do you...honestly believe that I was done...with this little game of yours?" Kathy spoke. Blood ran down from her forehead and covered half her face and neck in crimson stain. Her white blouse was torn, ripped and turned a discolored red while her revealed arms were purple with bruises. Any revealed portion of her skin was in fact heavily bruises and broken in cuts and scrapes. Two shaking hands held tight to the axe handle as she stepped forward. "I believe...it's my turn now."

"You crazy bitch!" the lead man growled, before drawing out his 9mm. He fired once and watched as Kathy barely flinched as the bullet lodged into her shoulder.

"I don't approve of cussing in front of the children," she replied, before swinging her axe. The blade caught him hard in the neck, spinning him slightly before dropping him to the floor. She walked over and placed her foot on his back before swinging the axe down once more. Hearing the painful crack as she severed his head completely from his neck, letting a spray of blood squirt across the living carpet. She turned back to the other two men and brought the axe down on the man on the floor. She didn't flinch as the hit shattered his spine and killed him seconds later. She picked up the axe one more time before finishing off the last man with another hit to the chest, that crushed his ribcage and left a spur of blood from his lips as he toppled over.

"What...just happened?" Lisa spoke, hissing it between her teeth.

"I don't know..." Sherry replied, covering her face with her hands.

"So, how was school today girls?" Kathy spoke, wiping the blood from her face with the back of her hand. "I need to check on dinner. It'll be ready as soon as Claire gets back from the store." she turned and headed back into the kitchen. "Till then, help yourself to a snack. I think I'm going to make some coffee."

"Is...is mommy okay?" Moira questioned, peaking out from behind Lisa.

"Y-yeah," Lisa nodded. "Why don't you guys go play upstairs, huh? Sherry may show you how to use her PS2."

"Come on," Sherry ushered, taking the three girls to the staircase before hurrying them up to avoid any more sight of the bodies.

Lisa let go of a quick breath and ran a hand through her hair. "Oh my God...I just watched an axe massacre and now she's making coffee. It's kind of like the first time, only...not as many bodies. What is happening?" she walked over and took a seat on the couch to steady herself.

It took only a few moments before Sherry came back down. "I checked the rest of the house and nothing else came up. I made sure the windows were locked and secure. I mean, I doubt they've sent any more soldiers because Kathy would've known about it. What happened to her?"

"I don't know, but it looks like the soldiers got her first before she got them," Lisa replied.

* * *

"Come on, come on," Claire whispered, tapping nervously on her leg as they pulled into the neighborhood. She glanced at the digital clock. 3:35. "They already would've been home by now."

"I'm going as fast as I can," Cynthia replied, before pulling up into the driveway. "This is the house, right?" she didn't even have to answer as Claire was already out of the vehicle and going to the house. Shutting off the engine, she got out and went after the Redfield.

"Kathy!" Claire shouted, shouldering open the door as she stepped in. She paused for a moment, noticing a few of the hanging pictures were broken and several pieces of furniture limped on crippled legs. Sucking in a sharp breath, she moved on before stopping just before the kitchen. Her eyes landed on the three bodies mutilated on the floor. Blood spilt out all around them, especially around the one without a head. "What the hell?" she whispered.

"'Cause when it all comes down and I'm feeling like I'll never last, I just lean on you..." she looked up at someone softly singing before slowly stepping into the kitchen. Spotting first the bloodied axe, then the bloodied woman sitting next to it. Her blouse hung loosely off a busted shoulder, as a hand clung to a small coffee mug. "'cause baby, you're my better half."

"Uh, Kathy?" Claire called.

"We use to kid around and say that was our song," Kathy chuckled, as she set her coffee down and picked up the broken frame of a picture. "It's helped us through these last few years."

Claire stared at the woman for a moment before glancing back as Cynthia stepped into the house. The Latino woman seemed in disbelief at the broken furniture and blood spots that stained the carpet. "Cynthia, call 911 please."

"Is she going to be okay?" Cynthia whispered, pulling out her phone from her shirt.

"I hope so," Claire replied. "She's kind of delusional right now. She might be going into shock soon."

"What do I tell them?" Cynthia questioned.

"Uh, I don't know, a breaking and entering gone wrong," the Redfield suggested, but found the excuse to be complete bullshit. This wasn't a breaking and entering...it was an attempted murder. "Kathy, are the girls alright?"

"They went upstairs a little while ago...to play games," Kathy answered, as she picked up her coffee mug and lifted it to her lips in a light drink. "You know, Renny was right. This is some really good coffee."

Claire glanced back at the staircase before stepping into the living room. She needed to make sure the girls were alright and still alive. She paused though, upon seeing the two older teens on the couch. "Lisa. Sherry. Thank God you two are okay."

"Claire," Sherry sighed before getting up to embrace the older woman. "Is Kathy going to be okay?"

"Yeah, we're getting an ambulance for her right now," Claire nodded. "What happened here?"

"They caught us when we got in the house," Lisa answered, holding a pillow to her chest. "They were talking about taking the two of us and killing the other three. But just as the men were coming for us, they just started screaming and blood came out of nowhere." she paused for a moment. "Kathy killed all of them with an axe. She looked like some kind of...deranged serial killer."

"When someone threatens your kids...you'll do anything to protect them," Claire whispered.

"They told us that everyone was dead," Sherry replied.

"Well that's Umbrella for ya," Claire sighed. "I'm gonna go back and stay with her till the police arrive. Why don't you two go upstairs while we handle everything down here, alright? The police may want your report on what happened here, but until then I think you two have seen enough for one day."

"I didn't think she had the upper body strength to do that," Lisa remarked, as she got up from the couch and started for the stairs. "You'll let us know when everything's alright, won't you?"

"Yeah," Claire nodded, watching as the two girls disappeared upstairs before she headed back to the kitchen. A small pool of blood was forming around Kathy's chair as she slowly edged around the table to the other side before taking a seat. The mother of two had her left eye swollen shut as faint blood streams were still evident from her lips. She was pale and seemed so frail at this point. "Kathy, we've got help coming on its way. You're going to be fine."

"Claire, you're a bright young woman and I'm glad I had the privilege to spend some time with you," Kathy started. "And I just want to give you a small piece of advice. When you have kids, those kids are going to become your life. If anyone ever threatens them...you sure as hell better give your life for them." she chuckled lightly and ran a hand down her bleeding arm. "When I was weaving in and out of consciousness, all I could think of was what would those men would do to the children if I wasn't there to protect them. I knew they would harm them, kill them. And I wasn't going to stand aside and let that happen. I may have scarred my children with what I did to those men, but at least I can say that I saved their lives."

"Kathy, you are one tough mother of two," Claire smiled. "I'd hate to see how both you and Barry would've handled the situation together."

"Yeah we make quite a pair," Kathy replied, picking up the picture once more. She stared at the picture for several moments before slowly setting it down on the table. She looked grave and distilled before finally speaking once more. "Claire, I need you to promise me something. No matter what happens to me, you cannot tell Barry about this."

"What?"

"I know this was just a whole scam to get them to turn around and...if they find out what happened here, he's just gonna get worried," Kathy whispered. "I know how important this mission is to them and that's why I can't let them turn back now. They've gone through enough already. I have to let them finish what they started. So please Claire, don't let him find out."

Claire stared at the woman before slowly nodding. "Okay, I promise."

"Thank you," Kathy sighed as she closed her eyes.

"Kathy?" Claire questioned, before watching as the woman fell to the floor. "Kathy!" she ducked down to the woman's side. Checking for a pulse, she sighed in relief upon finding one. "Cynthia! I need some help in here!"

There was the clicking of her heels as the Latino woman rushed in at her call. "I just saw the cars coming around the corner. They'll be here soon."

"Thank God," Claire whispered.

"Wow, is this her wedding portrait?" Cynthia questioned, as she picked up the picture on the table. "They look cute together."

Claire reached back and took the picture as it was handed to her. She looked at the old photo from behind the broken glass. "Yeah...that's them."


	35. Honesty

**A/N: Third day in a row that I have updated. Yay me! And Yay you guys who review and keep me going!**

"Alright," Jill sighed as she fixed her hair in the mirror before setting the brush aside. "This is it. This is going to be the last time in a long time that I actually look clean and nice. In a few hours, I'll be covered in blood and sweat and victory."

Chris chuckled from the bedroom as he fitted on his knee pads and tightened his boots. "You know that's how I like you best."

"Cute," Jill replied, before standing in the bathroom doorway. "I know how we've all been looking forward to this...but it doesn't make the whole 'Oh God we may die here' feeling go away." she wiped her hands on her pants before going over to slip on her jacket. She had two 9mm, one strapped at her thigh and the other just under one shoulder. Extra clips were posted on her belts, as she ran her fingers over them just to make sure they were there.

"Boy, I know how that feels," Chris remarked, running a hand through his hair before grabbing his shotgun from the bed. He double-checked the shells inside before strapping it onto his back. "We should be cautious about it, but not worried. We know what we're doing here. We can survive this. The mansion has taught us that. Raccoon City has taught us that. I can't say that this situation will be any different than the others, but it definitely won't be the same."

Jill stood there for a moment as she checked her machine gun now. She smiled lightly, and strapped it to her lower back before walking over to him. "Come on hubby, we got a job to do."

"I just want you to know, that if anything happens in there, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me," Chris spoke, as he pulled her against his chest.

"Starting to doubt me, Redfield?" Jill teased as she slung her arms around his neck. "Because I did manage to survive most of the mansion and the all of Raccoon City without you."

"I was just saying," he chuckled before kissing her on the forehead. "I didn't want something happening and the last thing I ever said to you was something like 'Good luck, count your bullets.'"

"You know you don't have to say anything," she replied, before cocking her head to the side. "But I think it's cute that you did."

"I can work with that," he laughed as the two drew in on a long embrace.

The soft moment, however, was interrupted by a collection of 'aww's from just outside their door.

"You guys gonna hurry it up or are we standing out here all day?" Rebecca teased, as she leaned up against the open doorframe.

"That brought a tear to my eye," Richard joked.

"I hate you all," Jill laughed.

"Hey, come on, be nice. We're going up against Umbrella today," Forest reminded, as the group moving into their bedroom. "We should at least get around to getting a few things off our chests beforehand."

"Let's first get a few routes mapped out," Chris reminded as he took the folded maps from the nearby dresser. He had studied them for hours upon hours before mapping out several paths in blue and red. Rolling the paper out on the bed, he stepped back and reevaluated his work. "I went ahead and mapped out some routes but I can't be certain of their liability. We don't know exactly what's out there yet. Umbrella-wise and environmentally wise as well."

"Mikhail said the points were here and here," Jill explained, pointing to the two large, overlapping circles in the middle of the map. "Which leaves the base right in between. As well, he managed to lock down the points of four watch towers. We only have to worry with two of them, that is...if we keep to the routes we have here."

"I looked up those satellite pictures for you," Brad spoke, as he stepped forward. "Most of the Eastern passages are blocked, so we may have to take a different approach. From what I could make out, the Southern entrance is the least inhabited and it'll give us the better chance of getting through it."

"Hmm..." Jill hummed to herself before turning the map around to better suite the directions. "So, if we take the Southern passages...we may only have to take out one tower. There's a string of rock formations that block the other one from view. If we're careful...we can make it inside without getting noticed by the second one. It's a small stretch, but I think we might be able to pull it off."

"I got a question," Leon started. "Won't they notice if one of the guard towers doesn't respond on time?"

"Each tower has a switch out time between three-hour intervals," Rebecca answered. "If we get there are the right time, we can knock out one tower just after the switch, which means they won't know something's wrong for three hours."

"And by that time we'll be inside the base," Ada nodded.

"Hopefully anyways," Jill added.

"Alright, so we move in through the Southern passage, knock out the guards at the first tower, and then infilitrate the base," Krauser repeated, before crossing his arms. "How exactly are we going to get inside the base? Do we know specifically where it is?"

"You can't miss it," Rebecca spoke, before walking over to the map. She placed her finger at the center of the two circles. "It's mostly underground, but several parts are visible above ground. There's entrances through the garbage disposal, a small vent shaft and through the air conditioning units. We'll have to split up once we arrive at the visible base and infiltrate through these three designated areas. Going through the air conditioning units will be the most dangerous, seeing as sudden air thrust and spinning blades don't go together that well. The vent shaft is going to be a tight fit, so us women may just have to use that one. The garbage disposal will not be pleasant, so we're going to need a nice bunch of guys to go through that."

"What do we do once we're inside?" Joseph questioned.

"Use a low-frequency radio talk and regroup elsewhere," Chris continued. "Now we have to be careful here. This is a live-action Umbrella base, so there will be scientist inside. While I'd like to say spare who you can, these people aren't exactly finding the cure for Cancer here. We need to destroy the base and leave nothing behind, so we can either plant high-explosive charges or use the base's self-destruct system to our advantage."

"How do we know it has a self-destruct system?" Ashley asked from the back.

"Because they always do, they never learn," Jill smiled.

"Is Wesker going to be in there?" Joseph raised.

There was a slight pause before Chris answered. "Yes and it's possible there will be others too."

"Do we know about anything we may be facing with in there?" Kenneth brought up.

"Aside from a few more troops and mad scientist, keep an eye out for the usual," Jill advised, as she set her hands on her hips. "But I want everyone to know what we're really going in there for. Yes, we want to destroy Umbrella and wipe it off the face of the Earth, but we also want Renny back. So let's keep her in mind when we enter that base out there."

"She still needs us guys," Chris spoke before his hand went to his vest at the feel of his phone going off. Pulling it out, he checked the Caller ID before answering. "Claire, is there something you need?"

"Is there anyone else in the room?" she asked.

He paused for a moment. "Yeah, everyone. We're going over some of the plans."

"Listen, I need you to step out on the balcony, or outside for a moment," she spoke.

"Why?"

"Chris, please! Just...just step outside for a few moments. I just need to tell you something that is really important right now and you may need to know it for your mission." Claire replied.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Chris assured, as he moved around the crowd and started to head outside. He pressed the phone to his shoulder for a moment to talk to Jill. "It's Claire. She just needs to talk to me real quick, sounds like one of her mood swings."

"Don't keep her waiting," Jill advised. "I'll finish up here."

He nodded and stepped out into the hallway before heading towards the end for some extra space. "Alright, I'm alone now Claire. What do you need?"

"Umbrella dropped by for a visit," she answered.

"What?" he whispered, stopping in his tracks.

"I was out at the store picking up some items when they hit," she explained. "They did a number on Kathy and almost got the girls too."

"Did you get them?"

"Didn't get a chance too. By the time I got to the house, they were in pieces on the floor and Kathy...she was just acting like it was any other day," Claire spoke. "I spoke with Sherry and Lisa about it, and apparently she took them out with an axe."

"Kathy was never one to mess with," Chris whispered. "She was kind of like getting between a mother bear and her cubs."

"Well, it didn't come with a price," Claire replied, as faint intercom voices came in behind her. "I'm at the hospital right now. She's in intensive care with a concussion, two stab wounds, a bullet wound to the shoulder, internal and external bleeding, a completely shattered ribcage and a bleeding lung. The doctors did what they could when she got there, but they were afraid to operate any further than repairing the internal bleeding. They have her in a medically-induced coma right now. If she makes it through the night, then she'll have a fighting chance and they'll take her out of the coma. If not...then they'll keep her under for a few more days. At this point, they can't tell what's going to happen."

He stood there for a moment in still silence before running a hand down his face. "Dear God..."

"Aside from that, everyone else is doing okay," Claire continued. "Moira and Polly are a bit distraught over it, but we've managed to calm them down with a few distractions here or there."

"As long as the kids are okay," Chris nodded. "Kathy wouldn't want anything to happen to them...or you."

"I'm fine," she assured. "I beat up a guy in the grocery store bathroom with a fire extinguisher, so I think I can handle myself pretty well."

"I just can't believe that..." he whispered. "She's never done anything wrong."

"And it's those people that Umbrella targets," Claire reminded, sighing quietly in the background. "Look, I know you guys are busy, so I'll let you go. Just...don't tell Barry."

"I don't think I would have the heart to," Chris replied.

"Kathy made me promise not to but...I figured if anything came up, you would want to know about it."

"Thank you Claire. Where are you guys staying now?" he asked.

"I figured since Umbrella would know where most of you guys live, I went out on a limb and bunked up with Cynthia," Claire answered. "She lives more in the urban areas though, so I don't think Umbrella will be showing much face around here."

He nodded to himself and rubbed one temple. "Alright, well I should get back to the gang...be careful Claire."

"You too Chris."

Hanging up the phone was a slow process, and he fumbled to put it back in his vest. God, of all the people to hurt, it had to be Kathy. First Renny and now her...They had to put an end to this now before someone else got hit. Recomposing himself, he headed back to the room and slid past the group.

"And I just wrapped everything up," Jill smiled, as she finished rolling up the map. "You wanna look at it one more time?"

"Nah, I got it," he replied. "We should pack up and get ready. Is Mikhail here yet?"

"No, he's still getting some things done ahead of time," Jill answered. "He should be back any minute though."

"What did Claire have to say?" Barry asked, before noticing his question seemed to had knock the color out of Chris' face. "Did something happen?"

By that time, everyone in the room had turned in on him. "Uh, no she was just talking about the kids and..." _think of something quick, don't worsen the situation!_ "how Sherry apparently fell out of tree earlier that day. You know how Claire is attached to the kid."

"I bet Lisa pushed her out," Forest chuckled, as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I'm gonna finish packing up my grenade launcher."

Chris mentally sighed as he passed the small hurdle before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He put his head into his hands as the team thinned out and went off to finish their own packing now that the briefing was done.

"Hey, you okay?" Jill questioned, as she walked over to him. "You don't look so well anymore."

"It's...it's nothing," he assured and got back to his feet. "Just those 'before the mission' jitters."


	36. Red Rock

**A/N: I missed a day but at least I got out a fourth update. I am putting out these chapters now, I'm so proud. And thank you to everyone who has reviewed, because it really helps me. **

Jill sighed as she looked out across the desert. The Red Rock Canyon obviously got its name somewhere and she was not the least bit pleased to see the large, mountain-like rocks all over the place. Yeah it would block their positions from view, but it also meant some minor climbing as the rock grew straight across in some areas, leaving very little sand to walk on. Not to mention the burning sun above them did very little to make the situation comfortable. Running a hand through her hair, she turned to face Mikhail who stood behind her. "You sure this is our entrance point?"

He laughed mildly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Unfortunately so. We'll run into the first look out about three miles inward. The buildings are labeled under their alias, P.A.C.P, so they don't seem odd being placed out here in the desert. People just assume it's part of the preservation."

"That's great," Jill muttered. "Now Umbrella will smell us before we even get there."

Ada chuckled in the back as she removed her sunglasses and stuck them into her belt. "I wasn't the only one who was thinking that then." resting her hands on her hips she looked out across the desert before slightly cocking her head. "You know, Umbrella has had bases all over the world. All over Europe, in France and even Russia. What makes me wonder, is why would they place their 'final' base in the U.S. where we could easily reach them?"

"Maybe they're kind of taunting us by making home not even safe for us," Jill remarked.

"Maybe...seems they are taunting us...but not in the way we're thinking," Ada whispered.

"What? Like they want us to come to them?" Jill questioned before scoffing slightly. "They're wasting their time, because we would've came without their help."

"Exactly," Ada nodded.

"Alright people, it's time to head out!" Chris called to the group, as he shouldered a bag over one shoulder.

"One question," Richard called, as he checked his shotgun over before slinging it over his back. "Why can't we drive there?"

"Umbrella had small, sensitive electronic sensors placed underneath the sand a few years back," Billy informed as he slid a silver Magnum into a shoulder holster. "They can pick up all sorts of seismic activity, including vibrations that could be emitted from a moving vehicle of any size. While walking will take its time and seem like Hell in this kind of weather, it's the best method. The sensors won't be able to pick up our footsteps, no matter how big the group is."

"So, we'll have to get all hot, sweaty and cranky if it means getting there unnoticed," Jill added.

"Great, my favorite," Regan remarked as she finished pulling her hair back into a small ponytail. She grabbed her guns from the hood of the nearby SUV and slid them into their designated holsters. "What do we do about the cars? Think anyone will get suspicious if they're here for several days?"

"Got it covered," Mikhail assured. "We have local authorities and officials aware that our actions out here are strictly 'governmental' and that we may be out here for days."

"Well for once it sounds like we have everything covered," Jill chuckled, as she checked on her weapons one last time. She turned to Chris, who was standing beside her. "You don't want to check on Claire one last time?"

"Nah, she'll be fine," he answered, running a hand through his hair. "I just want to get this over with."

"We all do," she sighed, resting a hand on his arm.

"Wait, what about that whole tracking-device thing?" Richard asked. The topic had been brought up earlier that day and left some of them in worry over it. If all the 'mutant' team members, as he liked to say, were affected by a tracking device then how would they sneak in if Umbrella could monitor their movements. The first few encounters had clearly been just their soldiers guessing, but the last few ones had been obviously planned. So, they knew where they were at all times.

Billy chuckled lightly at the question. "Ironically enough, Umbrella has placed a tracking device in each of your revived members. However, they set up a magnetic field around their base that short-circuits or freezes any kind of electronical device or piece of equipment. That includes the tracking devices. Their frequency is set high enough to where they will freeze and Umbrella won't be able to follow you."  
"So, they give us these devices only to screw them up later?" Forest questioned.

"Exactly."

"Okay, can we stop talking and go?" Jill ushered. "I don't mean to rush, but I'm not standing in this heat to carry on a nice conversation."

* * *

Claire sighed as she sat in the brightly-colored kitchen of a two-story house with a furnished basement and attic. The house was nice, but she didn't have the mind set to enjoy it at the moment. She stared at the cold cup of coffee in one hand before pushing it away. Ever since Kathy's attack, nothing felt the same anymore. What bothered her was that she couldn't even help. She didn't even get there in time to give assistance. After all these years of fighting, she felt like she just sat back and watched.

"Hey, where are the kids?" Cynthia asked, as she appeared from around the corner with a polka-dotted box in her arms. "I figured we could play a game of Twister or something."

"Why do you have Twister?" Claire replied.

"Uh, for obvious reasons," the Latino woman answered.

It took her a moment before Claire got up. "No Twister. I don't even want to know what excuse you use to play that game with your 'company'."

Cynthia laughed before setting the game on the counter. "I was kidding. It was one of my roommates game. She likes to try and get us all together and spend time with each other."

"Where are your roommates?" Claire questioned.

"Oh you know, off with their boyfriends doing who knows what, who knows where," Cynthia shrugged. "They stay around long enough to help pay the mortgage, but after that they're off. I don't mind though, gives me a nice place to bring my own hunnies to."

"This was a bad idea bringing the kids here," Claire sighed, rubbing her temples.

"I was kidding, I was kidding," Cynthia assured, putting her hands on the Redfield's shoulders. "This place is perfectly safe and kid-proof, okay? There's nothing wrong here and it has more security than the local jail."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's obvious," Claire noted.

"Oh come on, I even have a fucking tire swing in the back," Cynthia laughed. "Who doesn't love one of those."

Claire laughed and shook her head. "You are relentless. I can see why Carlos likes you so much."

"Nah, he likes me for other reasons." Cynthia remarked. "Kidding!"

"How are the kids doing anyways?" Claire asked, changing the subject.

"They're playing Monopoly or something," Cynthia shrugged. "I think they got bored with playing their game systems, or just got tired of shooting virtual people. But at least they're keeping themselves busy and their minds off the whole 'case', right?"

"Hopefully."

* * *

"Oh, how I hate sand," Jill muttered, as she stepped up onto another rock platform sticking from the ground. "And rocks. I think I just hate deserts all together."

Rebecca laughed at the older woman's rants. "Come on Jill, it's not that bad."

"Okay, give me something that's worst," Jill replied.

"Being stuck in a torture room with a crazy, T-virus infected monkey that's trying to kill you," Rebecca answered. "And eventually falling through the floor only to hang from your death."

"Cheater."

"That's what I'm here for, Jill." Rebecca grinned.

Pausing slightly at the top of the small rock platform, Jill pulled her binoculars free and peered across the rugged desert. "Well, well, well, there's our first objective. The first watch out tower is just a little over two miles from here. I can see the outline of it. It's your typical tower with some spotlights and a balcony for snipers."

"Does that mean we've already finished one mile?" Joseph sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Nah, only half a mile," Mikhail replied, getting a groan from the group. He chuckled lightly. "How do you I feel? In Russia, the highest temperature is 20 degrees. We're use to it being negative 50 out there."

"That's different. Russia is its own icebox out there," Murphy spoke. "Even snowmen can't stand it."

"Well at least we're making some progress," Carlos muttered, as he took a moment to catch his breath.

"You sure you're up to this?" Jill questioned. "I'd be willing to walk you back to the cars and let you go back to the hotel."

"I made it this far from Raccoon City," he replied. "And I'm not leaving in the middle of this."

"Good, because I'm glad you decided to join us in this," Jill smiled, patting him on the back.

"Let's just get this over with and go home."

"I have a proposal to make," Forest started as the team continued on their way. "I think, since we're going up against some dangerous things today and that same major shit may go down, that we should all try and get some things off our chests."

"What do you mean?" Chris questioned.

"Chris, I accidentally hit your car when I was speeding into your driveway too fast," Forest replied, causing the Redfield to pause momentarily. "Yeah...so that wasn't the neighbor's kids, like I had told you at the time."

"So I had to pay $250 to replace a bumper you said the kids took a baseball bat to?" Chris spoke.

"See, we're making real progress here."

"I don't think I'm gonna like this idea," Jill whispered.

"Jill, don't even get me started on the things that I've done to your stuff." Forest laughed.


	37. Guard Tower

**A/N: So some minor writer's block and computer problems slightly set this chapter back almost by a month. So excuse me if it seems a bit out of place or rushed, I just now got around to finishing it. **

"-and one time when Murphy's grandmother called, I told her that he was out with hookers and gambling," Carlos spoke.

"Dude, I got a three-hour lecture about that next day!" Murphy complained, kicking sand at his friend.

"Hey, did anyone hear about those kids who hacked into the road sign system and put up Caution: 'Zombies Ahead' out on the highway?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, I laughed at it," Forest replied. "Kids and their stupid Nazi Zombies."

There was a brief moment of silence before Steve continued. "Okay, honestly, who would've turned their car around at the first sight of that sign?" almost everyone's hand went up.

"I mean, I can handle zombies but not if it's my choice," Jill shrugged. "I'll snap its neck in two with my legs but if it's that compared to like, staying at home with a good movie, I think we all know the answer."

"That reminds me when I put that inflatable shark in Richard's chair at work," Forest laughed.

"That was you!" Richard called. "Forest, I don't think I can be your friend anymore."

"How do we know the guard tower can't see us now?" Kenneth questioned. "Can they see us where we are now?"

"Nah, they just see you," Forest replied. "It's hard to hide a black guy in the desert."

"Forest, you're about to get a face full of cactus needles in a minute."

"Their usual line of sight is about a mile, maybe up to two miles," Mikhail started, as he adjusted his beret. "And about half a mile from here, we'll run into a small sand storm that will allow us to seek shelter behind one of the great red rock walls around here. And from there, it will give us enough shelter to move in on the tower and take it out just at the beginning of a new three-hour shift. Once that is done, we are free to make it straight to the underground base."

"How do you know all of this?" Rebecca asked.

"A lot of planning, thinking ahead and weather watching," he chuckled.

"We have to go through a sand storm?" Jill replied. "This mission is off to a great start."

"I got another one," Joseph started. "Steve, I accidentally broke the standing bar on your motorcycle."

"What? Well that explains all the dents and scuffs on one side," Steve muttered. "Asshole."

Jill sighed and pushed her hair from her face. Multiple scenarios ran through her mind as the large group tracked through the desert. What if they didn't get through the sand storm in time? What if they couldn't hide from the guard tower? What if they slipped up and instead got to the tower right as the shifts were changing? There would be no chance for them to get into the base unannounced. There were so many ways this mission could go wrong if they weren't careful. She had to keep reassuring herself that they were professionals and that nothing would get to them. But listening to the guys bicker back and forth about who broke what of someone else's, she was beginning to doubt herself over the whole thing.

"Hey, don't get that look on your face," Chris spoke, walking next to her.

"What look?" she questioned.

"The one that says 'Yeah we might make it, but with people like Forest and Murphy, screw it. We're all going to hell.'" Chris answered.

She chuckled and shook her head. "I was just running the scenario in my head and running through all the ways we could screw up if we're not careful."

"We won't screw up," he assured. "As long as we keep a clear head and fast reflexes, we'll be set."

"And if we don't?"

He shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to outrun the slowest person then."

"That's horrible," Jill replied, hitting him in the arm.

"I was just saying," he laughed.

* * *

"Wesker, we has a minor setback," Birkin announced as he pushed aside the door leading into the same dark room as always. "We lost visual cont..."

"They're on their way," Wesker interrupted, tapping his fingers on the arms of a chair. "In fact, they'll be coming up to the first guard tower soon."

Birkin waited for a moment before sighing. "I really hate it when you cut me off like that." he rubbed his temples for a moment before walking over to where the blonde man was sitting. "And how exactly do you know where they are anyways?"

Wesker chuckled lightly. "I've been around these people for years, I know how they work now. They've been planning this for awhile now, and I've just been playing with them this whole time. The way you get inside their head is by turning them against one another."

"And you expect to do this...how?" Birkin asked.

"It's fragile enough with their 'friends'," Wesker started. "But when you attack them at home, and their loved ones want to keep quiet..."

"You're talking about the attack on the Burton wife," Birkin spoke.

"Correct," he nodded. "It's kept a secret as of now, but wait till that secret comes out."

Birkin stepped back as the man stood and headed towards the door. "So, when it does they won't be sure who is telling the truth or if they're hiding something."

"Exactly."

He watched as Wesker disappeared from view before sighing as he went back to his papers. Pulling out a pencil from his pocket he scribbled something on the papers to remind himself of later. Not even noticing the new figure coming in.

"Why does Wesker have that smirk on his face?" Annette asked, crossing her arms. "The same one everytime he's about to do something drastic."

"I can't tell what he's doing half the time," Birkin sighed. "He's just...Wesker."

* * *

"Go, go, go!" Mikhail called as a sudden rush of sand blew through the large group.

Most of them tightened up their jackets and pulled over their protective goggles before rushing into the storm. Weapons were strapped down and covered to prevent sand damage while every other type of valuables were hidden. The large group split into partner units and separated into the blinding storm. Chris tightly followed Jill as the two chased each other through the storm, making sure to keep a sturdy foothold on the ground beneath them.

"What do we do if we get lost?" Ashley asked, holding quick to Luis' hand.

"Hope the vultures don't find us first."

Forest tore like hell through the sand, keeping an eye on his slightly slower partner. "Come on Joseph, where you gonna get with a speed like that?"

"Asshole!"

"Hey Forest!" he looked up at the call just in time to see Kenneth run past him. "See ya on the other end!"

"I hate you Kenneth!"

Mikhail looked up in time to see the faint outline of a guard tower just a few yards ahead. "Keep it together guys! We're almost to the first check point!"

"Thank God!" Jill shouted.

"I second!" Ada agreed.

The whole group raced forward before diving into the sand as the storm began to thin out. The first guard tower was in clear view now, armed with a large machine gun hooked onto the front balcony. The windows were tinted to prevent anyone from looking in.

"Alright, first group head forward," Mikhail ordered, watching as Forest, Murphy and Carlos got back to their feet and rushed quickly to the hiding place under the tower. The trio took careful steps before circling around and approaching the stairs. Everyone else got to one knee and watched carefully as the three moved upward. One small sound and most of the mission was ruined. If Umbrella knew of their placement now, it would be over by the time they reached the base.

Carlos stood fast at the door, one hand on the doorknob. He held his breath and looked at the other two. Nodding, he counting silently before jerking the door open. In a flash Forest and Murphy dove into the small room and opened fire. Carlos followed in after them but froze almost as soon as he passed the doorway. "The hell?"

**A/N: Also, to be honest, I was pretty much too busy playing Resident Evil 5 to get on my computer. ((It's awesome!))**


End file.
